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Informist, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

By Taniva Singha Roy

MUMBAI – Ex-mill prices of sugar were steady for the second consecutive day in the key markets of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra as it is the end of the year and market participants were in a holiday mode, so there was limited buying, traders said. Mills in Uttar Pradesh are likely to raise prices in the coming days as demand is expected to increase in January and those in Maharashtra are likely to keep prices unchanged, they said. 

Mills in Uttar Pradesh kept prices steady as there was little to no activity in the market on Wednesday, said Naresh Gupta, a trader from north India. On Friday, mills had raised prices by INR 20-INR 30 per 100 kg, expecting demand to pick up and noting that the January sales quota was insufficient to meet the month's demand due to festivals, Gupta said.

Prices have fallen quiet significantly in December so prices are unlikely to fall further in January, Gupta said. He added that in the second half of the month, prices are likely to rise due to wedding festivities across India at that time. 

The government has set the domestic sugar sales quota for January at 2.2 million tonnes, unchanged from December but over 2% lower than the January 2025 quota. The January sales quota is in line with market expectation. Market participants had told Informist that sugar sales quota for next month was expected to be 2.2-2.3 million tonnes, as demand was likely to improve due to festivals such as Makar Sankranti, Pongal, and the wedding season.

In Maharashtra, prices of the sweetener were steady, with market participants in a wait-and-watch mode, said Mukesh Kuvadia, secretary of the Bombay Sugar Merchants Association. Prices are likely to remain at these levels for the rest of the month, he said.

The following are the highlights of sugar prices in the domestic market:

--Flat at INR 3,850-INR 4,100 per 100 kg in western Uttar Pradesh

--Flat at INR 3,830-INR 4,115 per 100 kg in central Uttar Pradesh

--Flat at INR 3,860-INR 4,020 per 100 kg in Mumbai

--Flat at INR 3,765-INR 3,850 per 100 kg in Kolhapur

At 1846 IST, the price of sugar on the Intercontinental Exchange was up 2.2% at 15.16 cents per pound. Sugar prices rose, tracking gains in crude oil prices on NYMEX. A rise in crude oil prices leads to greater diversion of sucrose for ethanol production, reducing the availability of sugar.  End

US$1 = INR 89.87

Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury

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