Amid Covid-19 Lockdown, Uttar Pradesh Produces 123 Lakh Tonnes Sugar, Highest-Ever By Any State

Despite the COVID-19 lockdown under imposition for almost two straight two months, Uttar Pradesh (UP)'s sugar mills have achieved record production of over 123 lakh tonnes in the ongoing crushing season, reports Times of India.

The stellar production of the sugar sector in UP comes even as the lockdown has wreaked havoc in most other sectors in the economy. Also, it marks the highest ever sugar production achieved by any State of the nation in any season.

In the present season, the output is at least six lakh tonnes higher than the 117 lakh tonnes of sugar produced in the corresponding period of the last season. The production achieved in this season is slated to rise even further as 39 of the 119 sugar mills are still running in the State while there are about 10 more days left in the season. Notably, UP observes the sugarcane crushing season from October to May.

The previous best-ever production figure was also achieved by the UP Government itself in the 2017-18 season when the total production of sugar stood at 120.45 lakh tonnes.

Significantly, while UP has increased its production, the national output in the ongoing season has fallen by close to 62 lakh tonnes. The figure stood at 326 lakh tonnes in the previous season, while the production this year stands at 264 lakh tonnes. The State of UP alone has accounted for 47 per cent of the national output so far in this season.