The production of sugar has decreased by 13.03 percent due to low production of sugarcane in the first eight months of the current fiscal year as compared to the corresponding period of last year. According to official sources, the area under sugarcane crop for 2004-05 was targeted at 1.000 million hectares against 1.074 million of last year. But, sugarcane was sown on 0.958 million hectares--4.2 percent below the target and 10.8 percent less than last year.
Sugarcane production for 2004-05 is estimated at 47.938 million tons against the original target of 50.875 million tons and last year's achievement of 53.776 million tons. Thus, sugarcane production is estimated to be lower by 10.8 percent over last year.
Sources said that sugarcane is a highly water-intensive crop and shortage of water during Kharif may have caused decline in area under cultivation and the attendant decline in sugarcane production.