Sugar production has increased 5 per cent to 82.1 lakh tonnes between October 1 and December 15 period of this marketing year, while mills have contracted to export 45-50 lakh tonnes of the sweetener, industry body ISMA said on Monday. The sugar marketing year runs from October to September.

The production of sugar stood at 77.9 lakh tonnes in the corresponding period of the 2021-22 marketing year.

“According to port information and market reports, about 45-50 lakh tonnes of contracts for the export of sugar have already been signed so far. Out of that, about 6 lakh tonnes of sugar have been physically exported out of the country up to November 30,” Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said in a statement.

Market reports suggest that another 8-9 lakh tonnes of sugar is in the pipeline to be exported in December, thereby total exports by the end of this month could be around 15 lakh tonnes.