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Informist, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026

By Taniva Singha Roy

MUMBAI – Ex-mill prices of sugar rose in Uttar Pradesh as the sales quota for March was considered to be insufficient to meet the demand, traders said. Sugar prices, however, remained steady in Maharashtra, they said.

Mills in Uttar Pradesh raised prices by INR 10-INR 15 per 100 kg after the government released the sales quota for March, Naresh Gupta, a trader from north India, said. The government has set the domestic sugar sales quota for March at 2.25 million tonnes, down 2.2% lower from a year ago but unchanged from the current month.

The quota is insufficient to meet next month's demand, especially as summer approaches and there will be demand from bulk consumers of sugar, such as ice-cream and cold-drink manufacturers, Gupta said.

Market participants were expecting a higher quota of about 2.3-2.35 million tonnes, as March has more days than February. Though market participants had expected prices to remain largely steady, they may increase in the next few days due to lower than expected quota, traders said.

However, the gains will not last long as the sugar output in the state has increased. Sugar output in Uttar Pradesh during the season rose nearly 4% on year to 6.6 million tonnes as of Feb. 14, even as cane crushing fell 2.6% on year to 66.26 million tonnes, according to the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories. Among major producers, Uttar Pradesh has recorded the highest sugar recovery rate at 9.90%, up from 9.30% year ago, the federation said.

Mills in Maharashtra kept prices steady, Mukesh Kuvadia, secretary of the Bombay Sugar Merchants Association, said. Prices are likely to increase in the coming days due to lower sales quota, he said.

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

--Up INR 10-INR 15 at INR 3,900-INR 4,045 per 100 kg in west Uttar Pradesh

--Up INR 10-INR 15 at INR 3,900-INR 4,060 per 100 kg in central Uttar Pradesh

--Flat at INR 3,800-INR 3,825 per 100 kg in Mumbai

--Flat at INR 3,995-INR 4,056 per 100 kg in Kolhapur

At 1841 IST, sugar prices on the Intercontinental Exchange were down 0.5% to 14.48 cents per pound, amid expectations of higher global sugar output.  End

US$1 = INR 90.95

Edited by Saji George Titus

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