More Stories

Informist, Thursday, Mar. 5, 2026

By Taniva Singha Roy

MUMBAI – Ex-mill prices of sugar rose slightly in the key markets of Uttar Pradesh, even though demand was need-based, traders said. Mills raised rates as they are not in a hurry to meet the monthly quota, they said. In Maharashtra, prices of the sweetener were steady due to limited buying, traders added.

Mills in Uttar Pradesh raised prices by INR 5 per 100 kg, even as demand was need-based, said Naresh Gupta, a trader from north India. As it is just the start of the month and mills are not in a hurry to offload stocks and meet the quota at the moment, there was a slight increase in rates, Gupta said.

Prices may rise in the coming days due to lower-than-expected quota for March amid high demand from ice-cream and cold-drink manufacturers during the summer, he said. However, the rise will be capped as Uttar Pradesh's sugar output has increased. The state's sugar output rose over 2% on year to 7.4 million tonnes in Oct-Feb, even though sugarcane crushing was lower at 73.7 million tonnes than 76.6 million tonnes of sugarcane crushed a year ago. The average sugar recovery has risen to 10.05% from 9.45% last year, according to the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories.

In Maharashtra, mills kept prices steady as buying was limited, said Mukesh Kuvadia, secretary of the Bombay Sugar Merchants Association. Prices may rise in the coming days, he said.

Following are the highlights of sugar prices in the domestic market:

--Up INR 5 at INR 3,925-INR 4,050 per 100 kg in west Uttar Pradesh

--Up INR 5 at INR 3,925-INR 4,050 per 100 kg in central Uttar Pradesh

--Flat at INR 3,810-INR 3,825 per 100 kg in Mumbai

--Flat at INR 3,995-INR 4,066 per 100 kg in Kolhapur

At 1953 IST, sugar prices on the Intercontinental Exchange were up 0.2% at 13.75 cents per pound, tracking gains in crude oil prices on the NYMEX. Higher crude oil prices lead to an increase in the diversion of sucrose for ethanol production, reducing availability of sugar.  End

US$1 = INR 91.60

Edited by Ashish Shirke

For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.

Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd. by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt. Ltd.

Informist Media Tel +91 (22) 6985-4000

Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com

© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2026. All rights reserved.