Union Minister Pralhad Joshi addressed the recent increase in sugar prices, attributing reduced agricultural production to unexpected red rot disease and water scarcity caused by El Nino. Speaking on global and domestic agricultural declines, Joshi noted that India’s sugar production fell short of the expected 330 to 340 lakh tons. Despite this drop, he assured that India currently holds a surplus of 20 to 25 lakh tons against a requirement of approximately 280 lakh tons. To manage upcoming festival demand, temporary measures including raw sugar imports have been initiated. The minister and government officials dismissed opposition claims blaming the ethanol blending policy for the sugar crisis, emphasizing that environmental factors and rain deficits exceeding ten percent in key producing states like Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh caused the slowdown.
