'25% of debt-ridden sugar mills unlikely to operate next year'

Last Updated: Wednesday, April 15, 2015, 19:18

Sugar industry apex body ISMA today said that about 25 per cent of over 500 mills in the country may not be in a position to start crushing operations next marketing year starting October 2015 due to huge debt and banks' reluctance to provide fresh loan.

Food ministry for hiking import duty on sugar to 40%

Last Updated: Wednesday, April 15, 2015, 17:30

The Food ministry would recommend a hike in import duty on sugar to 40 percent from the current 25 percent to check sliding price of the sweetener and enable mills to clear mounting cane arrears that has reached almost Rs 20,000 crore so far.

Govt could consider white sugar export incentive: Paswan

Last Updated: Wednesday, April 8, 2015, 15:08

India could consider giving cash-strapped sugar companies an incentive to export white, or refined, sugar as long as mills agree to pay dues they owe to millions of cane growers, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Wednesday.

'Price mismatch worries sugar industry'

Last Updated: Monday, March 23, 2015, 18:36

Mismatch in the prices of cane and white sugar is causing severe loss to the factories resulting in huge arrears to farmers by the mill owners, says a top official of a sugar company.

Sugar mills say exports not viable unless prices rise 10%

Last Updated: Friday, March 13, 2015, 15:25

Sugar mills will be unable to sign any major export deals despite recent government incentives if prices do not rise about 10 percent to 14.4 cents per pound, a top industry official said.

Sugar mills make distress sales to pay farmers

Last Updated: Wednesday, February 11, 2015, 10:59

Without any government incentive, Indian sugar is uncompetitive in world markets well supplied by low-cost producers Brazil and Thailand.

Food Ministry for extending sugar export subsidy for 1.4 million tonnes

Last Updated: Wednesday, January 28, 2015, 22:02

The Food Ministry is in favour of extending export subsidy for only 1.4 million tonnes of raw sugar in the ongoing 2014-15 marketing year.

Maharashtra seeks extension of subsidy on raw sugar exports

Last Updated: Saturday, January 17, 2015, 13:38

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday met Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and sought extension of subsidy on raw sugar exports and hike in import duty on the sweetener to 40 percent to help cash-starved mills clear cane arrears to farmers.

Govt considering higher sugar export subsidy of Rs 4,000/tonne

Last Updated: Thursday, January 8, 2015, 18:08

The government is considering extending subsidy on raw sugar exports for the ongoing marketing year 2014-15 by giving a higher incentive of Rs 4,000 per tonne to cash-starved mills.

Sugar output in Oct-Dec rises by 27.3%: ISMA

Last Updated: Monday, January 5, 2015, 14:47

Sugar output stood at 5.86 million tonnes in the October-December period of the 2013-14 season. Sugar season runs from October to September.

Sweet sugar turns bitter for mill owners in 2014

Last Updated: Thursday, December 25, 2014, 15:31

Sugar remained sweet for consumers this year but turned bitter for mill owners who faced huge losses estimated at over Rs 3,000 crore and struggled to make payments to cane farmers due to sluggish sales realisation.

Sugar production up 47% to 42.25 lakh tonne so far this season

Last Updated: Wednesday, December 17, 2014, 20:35

India's sugar production rose by 47 percent to 42.25 lakh tonnes till December 15 of this marketing year, which started in October this year, leading to a fall in ex-factory prices of the sweetener.