2024-02-22 15:57:01
The increase of FRP from Rs. 315 per quintal to Rs. 340 per quintal will help the 5 crore cane farmers will lead to an additional payment of more than Rs. 10,000 crores to the cane farmers through the sugar industry.
Industry body Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) has said that the increase in FRP will help farmers. “The increase will help the farmers to meet the increasing expenditure for growing cane and can make sugar cane retain its competitiveness against other crops like rice, maize etc. This will lead to an additional Rs. 10,000 crore plus payment to the cane farmers through the sugar industry.”
ISMA has also demanded commensurate increases in prices of sugar and ethanol. “The Commission of Agricultural and Costs Prices (CACP) may also recommend the MSP of sugar which as per industry estimates will be at about Rs. 3,900 per quintal based on the FRP of Rs. 340 per quintal of sugarcane. Similarly, the prices of ethanol shall also be revised based on the higher FRP and increased costs to make it viable for the sugar industry,” said ISMA.
If the sugar prices rule in the range of Rs 36/kg, then the sector analysts expect reduction in the profits of the sugar mills. Girishkumar Kadam, Senior Vice President & Group Head, ICRA said, “With the recent decision of the government regarding increase in FRP of sugarcane for Sugar Year 2025 (October 2024-September 2025), the cost of sugar production is likely to increase by about Rs.2.4/kg for the states following FRP such as Maharashtra and Karnataka. ICRA expects the profitability of sugar mills in Maharashtra and Karnataka to moderate by 80-100 bps given the domestic sugar prices remain at Rs. 36-36.5/kg.”
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
1708620623
#sugar #mills #Increase #FRP #moderate #profitability #sugar #mills #Maharashtra #Karnataka #ICRA