Sugar exports curb for adequate Diwali mithai: Govt

May 25, 2022 15:15

Justifying the decision to cap sugar exports at 10 million tonnes this year, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey on Wednesday said the government took a "timely and precautionary" measure to ensure an adequate availability of the sweetener during the festival season in October-November and to maintain price stability.

Although prices of sugar are "more stable" when compared to other commodities, the decision to curb sugar exports was taken to prevent any undue spike in retail prices amid global shortage of the commodity, he said.

Pandey also mentioned that India has emerged this year as the world's largest sugar producer, toppling Brazil which faced shortage of output this year.

India is also the second largest sugar exporter in the world. On May 24, the government notified capping of sugar exports to 10 million tonnes in the ongoing 2021-22 marketing year (October-September).

Shipments will be allowed with special permission between June 1 and October 31.

Addressing the media, the Food Secretary said, "Sugar exports have risen sharply from about 50,000 tonnes in 2016-17 to 10 million tonnes this year. Please take it out of mind that it is any kind of curb." The country's sugar exports this year are the highest ever. Already 9 million tonnes of sugar have been contracted, out of which 7.5 million tonnes have been exported, he said.

Sugar exports stood at a record 7 million tonnes in the 2020-21 marketing year.

The curbs had to be imposed to ensure enough availability of sugar during the festival season in October-November, which is also the beginning of the new sugar marketing year and when domestic demand of sugar is met from old stocks, he said.

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