Sugar industry faces grim situation: Pawar

Bangalore, Mar 10 (UNI) Sugar sector in India is in dire straits followed increased global production with huge stocks starking the industry Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said today.

Delivering his inaugural address at a two-day National Seminar on "Mechanical Cultivation of Sugar cane and Safety Quality Management in Sugar Industry" here he said as against a requirement of 19 million tonnes, the country today produced 28 million tonnes.

Leading producers Brazil, Australia, Thailand and South Africa have increased production manifold and their usage in ethanol, especially by Brazil has led to crash in petrol prices in international market.

Besides China, which was competing in the field has decided to set up 37 plants which could produce 35,000 tonnes per day. ''All these leads to the conclusion that Sugar industry is in dire situation in India'' he added.

The country faced such a situation once in two years and unless the country adopted technology to produce ethnol out of cane, the industry would continue to suffer as the sugar production was scaling new high every year during the last one decade.

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