Shree Renuka Sugars, one of India’s key sugar producers, anticipates a 20 percent decline in cane production due to erratic rainfall during this year’s monsoon, Vijendra Singh, Executive Director & Deputy CEO, Shree Renuka Sugars and Managing Director, KBK Engineering, told Moneycontrol.
“Rains were strenuous this year, particularly August was dry, and again October is dry. It has impacted cane production in Maharashtra and Karnataka substantially,” said Singh. However, he noted that Uttar Pradesh was largely unaffected by the uneven rainfall.
Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra together contribute 80 percent of India’s sugarcane production, which touched 500 million metric tonnes in the October-September 2021-22 season. India experienced its most subdued monsoon in half a decade this year and any decrease in agricultural production will intensify the burden on the government to manage food price surges before the upcoming elections.
“We try to educate our farmers on how to cultivate cane with lower water application,” Singh said, referring to the company’s adaptive measures.
