Mapping the Geography of Sugarcane Production and Export Performance in India: A Data-Driven Evaluation for 2024–25
Mallikarjun Konnur
*
PG Department of Commerce, BLDE Association’s Commerce, BHS Arts and TGP Science College, Jamkhandi, Karnataka, India.
Triveni Biligi
Department of Management, BLDE Association’s Commerce, BHS Arts and TGP Science College, Jamkhandi, Karnataka, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The sugar industry in India plays a central role in both the national agrarian and industrial nexus providing substantial inputs to the rural labor force, agro-processing and energy diversification through the ethanol blending strategy. The sugar industry despite the fact that it is one of the largest sugar producers in the world is marked by a high level of regional inequality and a high reliance on a few export destinations. It is against this backdrop that the current paper gives a detailed evaluation of the structural and spatial attributes of the Indian sugar industry in the 2024-25 sugar season.
The main goal of the enquiry is to analytically deconstruct the distribution of active sugar mills on a statebystate basis, examine the trends in sugarcane production within different regions of the country, question the agglomeration of potential export markets and evaluate the overall industry and policy implications of such process dynamics.
The current study will use only secondary data that has been ensured to be of high quality and of trustworthy sources, namely: the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD), the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF), the Directorate of Economics and Statistics (DES), APEDA, and other thoroughly vetted literature.
The scientific tools of description statistics (percentage analysis of shares, ranking, comparative evaluation and graphical aid) were used to explain the production and export trends.
The empirical findings reveal that the sugar production is highly concentrated in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, which contribute more than 80 per cent of the national production. Export markets are also highly concentrated with Djibouti, Somalia and Sri Lanka turning out to be leading destinations. Instability in climatic variations, regulatory policies, and mill performance through cooperation are shaping a significant impact on the yearly yields.
The paper thus highlights the need to diversify the region, enhance the irrigation infrastructure, increase the market of export and unify ethanol policy programs and production cycles.
Overall, this study sheds light on the organizational imbalances and policy conditionality that define the sugar industry in India, and offers up strategically relevant interventions that would align with the sustainable development of the sector, market sustainability, and egalitarian development in the region.
Keywords: Sugarcane production, regional imbalance, sugar industry, export concentration, ethanol blending policy, cooperative sugar mills, climate variability, india’s sugar sector, state-wise analysis