India has released 3.8 million tonnes of sugar for sale in the domestic market in the April-June quarter to help ensure adequate supplies and keep prices in check. The government controls distribution of sugar in the local market, allocating fixed quantities that can be sold by producers every month in India, the world's biggest sugar consumer. A government statement late on Thursday said with a 216,000 tonne quota for the poor released for April-June, the total availability of sugar for domestic consumption for the quarter would be around 4.45 million tonnes.
Sugar millers have to sell 10 percent of their output to the government at concessional prices as levy sugar. It is then sold to poor people at subsidised rates.
"With enough stock in hand, the government will not hesitate in releasing further quantities if required," the food ministry statement said.
India has been importing raw sugar since October to meet a shortfall in production. Sugar output is expected to fall to 12.5 million tonnes in 2004/05 (October-September) from around 14 million tonnes a year ago.
But the government says there is no shortage of sugar in the country because of carryover stocks and duty-free imports of raw sugar under the advance-licensing scheme.
India, which annually consumes 18 million tonnes of sugar, had a carryover stock of 8.5 million tonnes on October 1, 2004.
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