Government may allow additional sugar exports
25 Nov 2011
The central government will consider additional sugar exports after assessing the progress of domestic crushing activities and global prices, food and consumer affairs minister K V Thomas said today.
This is in addition to the one million tonnes sugar exports approved by an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on food headed by the finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, early this week.
The EgOM had allowed export of sugar under Open General Licences (OGL) in an effort to improve the cash flow of mills so that cane growers get their payments in time.
''We will consider allowing more sugar exports after assessing the pace of crushing and international sugar market,'' Thomas said on the sidelines of a real estate function in New Delhi.
The availability of sugar for exports would, however, depend on how crushing progresses in the coming days, the minister said, adding that crushing operations have been delayed in the ongoing 2011-12 marketing year (October-September).
Sugar crushing is yet to start in major sugar producing states like UP and Maharashtra as yet.