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Informist, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026

 

By Ritwika Dutta and Afra Abubacker

 

MUMBAI – Ex-mill sugar prices remained flat in major markets across Maharashtra on Tuesday as demand and supply were largely on par. However, sugar prices rose in Uttar Pradesh due to firm demand, traders said.

 

Sugar prices rose by INR 30 per 100 kilograms at major markets in Uttar Pradesh. In other key south Indian markets such as Karnataka, prices rose by INR 20, but remained flat in Tamil Nadu, an official from the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories said.

 

The sugar market has been rallying with intermittent price corrections since June due to concerns about the recently sown crop's yields amid deficient monsoon rainfall and forecasts of El Nino strengthening in August and September. In addition, speculation that stocks could tighten in the coming months prompted panic buying, raising prices. 

 

Traders are assessing if the government will intervene further to check record high sugar prices, Mukesh Kuvadia, secretary of the Bombay Sugar Merchants Association, said. Recently, Food Minister Pralhad Joshi had met the food secretary and other officials to emphasise the need for close monitoring of stock availability and timely measures to ensure adequate supplies in the market, the minister said on social media X Sunday. 

 

On Monday, Reuters reported that the government is considering restricting the use of sugarcane-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the upcoming sugar season 2026-27 (Oct-Sep). Restricting sugar diversion for ethanol production will ensure a higher supply of sugarcane to produce sugar. In the current season, mills diverted about 3 million tonnes of sugar, or around 10% of total sugar output, to ethanol production, according to the report. 

 

"Food is a priority over fuel," Kuvadia said, adding that the market is awaiting more clarity from the government on the potential restriction on sugar diversion. To improve supplies and check sugar prices, the government has imposed stock limits on sugar traders and is currently conducting physical inspections of sugar mills to verify stocks and sales data. 

 

Following are the highlights of ex-mill prices of sugar in the domestic market:

--Flat INR 4,830-INR 4,960 per 100 kg in Mumbai 

--Flat at INR 4,780-INR 4,830 per 100 kg in Kolhapur 

--Up INR 30 at INR 4,710-INR 4,820 per 100 kg in Uttar Pradesh 

--Up INR 20 at INR 4,630-INR 4,680 per 100 kg in Karnataka   

--Down INR 20 at INR 50 at INR 4,780 -INR 4,810 per 100 kg in Gujarat

--Flat at INR 4,725-INR 4,850 per 100 kg in Tamil Nadu 

 

At 1859 IST, the price of sugar on the Intercontinental Exchange was up 0.7% at 16.58 cents per pound.  End 

 

US$1 = INR 95.44

IST, or Indian Standard Time, is five-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT

 

Edited by Avishek Dutta

 

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