NEW DELHI: The Centre has ruled out any shortage of sugar during the current year, saying that healthy carryover stocks from last year would supplement higher production and help meet any exigency in the market. "Sugar prices are well under control and we have adequate stocks to meet demand," agriculture and food minister Sharad Pawar told reporters here on Tuesday.
With carryover stocks of 40 lakh tonne and over 180 lakh tonne production expected during the current year, he said: "We are comfortably placed for sugar this year."
He further said sugar production estimates also need to be revised upwards as major producing states Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu expect 30-50% more output. On the export obligation as against last year's raw sugar import of around 24m tonne, Mr Pawar said, "This can even be met in next year."
The government allowed sugar mills to import raw sugar in '04-05 (October-September) sugar year in order to meet the shortfall in production. Sugar output in '05-06 is likely to increase by at least 41.7% on account of good monsoon, according to Indian Sugar Mills Association data.
The association has predicted that the sugar production in the country will be not less than 180 lakh tonne this year as compared to 127 lakh tonne in '04-05. Country's annual sugar consumption is pegged at around 180 lakh tonne.
Meantime, Mr Pawar said that country's milk production would jump 40% from 91m tonne in '04-05 to 127m tonne by '12. Milk production grew by more than five-fold from a mere 17m tonne during '51 to about 91m tonne.
The per capita milk availability in the country has risen from 107 gm in '70 to 232 gm in '04-05, Mr Pawar said, while launching Nabard-sponsored central milk scheme in the capital on Tuesday. However, this average is far below than the world average of per capita milk availability which stands at 265 gm.
-Economic Times
January 11, 2006
