Mills ended the crushing season in around 100 days instead of the usual 160, partly because 40 per cent of mills have switched to mechanised crushing to deal with labour shortages, and partly due to poor sugarcane quality caused by unseasonal rain. (File Photo)The Centre’s decision to ban sugar exports till September 30 has drawn sharp reactions from farmer organisations, with the All India Kisan Sabha and Swabhiman Shetkari Sanghatana calling it damaging for sugarcane farmers and the sugar industry. On Wednesday, the Centre issued a notification banning the export of raw, white and refined sugar with immediate effect till September 30, 2026, citing the need to maintain adequate domestic stock and check inflation. Consignments already in the process of being exported before the notification were exempted.Swabhiman Shetkari Sanghatana president Raju Shetti was blunt. “In February 2026, the Centre took a decision to allow export of sugar. Within three months, in May, they brought a ban on sugar export. Such flip-flops on policy decisions will adversely affect sugarcane farmers and sugar mills in Maharashtra,” he said. Shetti argued that policy instability, not just the ban itself, was the real problem. “How can you make diametrically opposite decisions within three months? Such flip-flops have instilled uncertainty in the sugar sector. And 50 lakh farmers who cultivate sugarcane for assured income and livelihood are now confronting a question on whether they should opt for the cash crop or not in the coming kharif season,” he said. In a joint statement, AIKS leaders Ashok Dhawale, Ajit Navale, J P Gavit and Umesh Deshmukh questioned the decision and urged the Centre to reconsider it in the larger interest of farmers and the sugar industry. “At a time when Maharashtra has recorded good sugar production and international demand was higher, the abrupt decision to ban sugar exports was wrong. The Centre’s ban on sugar would become detrimental for farmers as well as the industry,” the statement said. AIKS secretary Ajit Navale pointed to global trends to make his case. Several sugar-producing countries are shifting to ethanol, he said, which means Indian sugar exports would have fetched higher returns for both farmers and the industry. With Maharashtra recording a bumper crop this season and carry-over stock from last year, he argued the Centre’s concern about domestic shortages triggering a price rise was not justified.Story continues below this ad Navale also flagged the financial stress in the sector. Many sugar mills are currently unable to pay the fair remunerative price to sugarcane growers, he said, and the minimum selling price of sugar has remained stagnant for four years, compounding the crisis for mills. Maharashtra ended the 2025-26 crushing season as India’s largest sugar-producing state, with output of 99.20 lakh tonnes, ahead of Uttar Pradesh at 89.20 lakh tonnes and Karnataka at 47.15 lakh tonnes. The state fell short of its projected 106 lakh tonne target. Mills ended the crushing season in around 100 days instead of the usual 160, partly because 40 per cent of mills have switched to mechanised crushing to deal with labour shortages, and partly due to poor sugarcane quality caused by unseasonal rain. According to the Sugar Commissionerate, 207 mills, including cooperative and private units, crushed 1,044.21 lakh tonnes of sugarcane between November 2025 and early April 2026, at an average sugar recovery rate of 9.50 per cent.
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