Page 3 - Sugar Industry

Cabinet to consider Rs 45-bn package for cash-starved sugar industry today

The government has taken a slew of measures to bail out cash-starved sugar mills as well as cane farmers in the last one year

Sugar sector demands MSP hike by Rs 7/kg; may push up the retail price

Industry players said it would still be lower than the rate at which sugar was selling in the open markets last year

Trouble for sugar industry as govt goes back five years to penalise mills

Levy obligation abolished in 2013; penalty for defaults comes now

Tamil Nadu sugar mills seek 3-year loan moratorium after 2016 drought

The sugar mills in Tamil Nadu have approached to the central government to announce a three year moratorium for the Sugar Development Fund (SDF) and soft loans given in the past, with a timeframe of seven years to repay the loans after the moratorium period, as the industry in the State is facing a decrease in processing in the last several years. The State has been undergoing various challenges and the capacity utilisation of sugar mills in the State has come down from 84 per cent in 2011-12 to 21.66 per cent in 2017-18, says the South Indian Sugar Mills Association (Tamil Nadu).While the centre has been taking various initiatives to stabilise the sugar prices at the national level, improving the sugar prices, Tamil Nadu sugar mills have been facing an additional challenge in the form of low cane availability due to vagaries of monsoon resulting in much higher cost of production, they said. The industry in the State may need additional support, considering the crisis it is ...

Govt allows mills to make ethanol directly from sugarcane juice, B-molasses

So far, mills were allowed to manufacture ethanol from by-product called C-molasses, after sugar was taken out while processing raw cane juice

Knee-jerk reaction: Sugar sector is crying out for real reforms

Distress and anger among farmers are believed to be among the reasons for the Bharatiya Janata Party's defeat in a recent bypoll in Kairana, in Uttar Pradesh's sugar belt

Relief for sugar industry: Modi-led Cabinet okays Rs 85-bn bailout package

Sources said Rs 12 billion would be the carrying cost for the building of the buffer stock

No immediate plan to give production-linked subsidy to sugar sector: Govt

Asked factories to export 2 million tonnes sweetener, even at loss, to liquidate surplus stock and improve domestic prices

Cane price control: Sugar producers pay the price of reform

Government-controlled cane prices remain a challenge as the sugar-crushing season gets into full swing

Sweet timing

The sugar industry is ripe for reform

Sugar companies sweeten balance sheet

At a time when corporate financial defaults and insolvencies are making headlines, leading players in the sugar industry are repaying and prepaying debt after a long gap. With profits for many sugar makers hitting a new record last year, companies have got down to debt reduction and are sweetening balance sheets.Four sugar companies- Balrampur Chini, Triveni Engineering, Dhampur Sugar and Dwarikesh Sugar- together have repaid about Rs 1,100 crore to financial institutions since FY17. The debt reduction process does not end here and with a stable cash flow outlook companies are looking to bring down the debt further. Country's second biggest sugar company Balrampur Chini has repaid Rs 472 crore after it made a record profit of Rs 592 crore last year. "Given the cash flows we should be in a good position to bring the long-term down to bare bone when the year ends. Some of the loans had a longer repayment period but we decided to prepay it in our interest. The financial ratios will ...

Most sugar refineries find quantity allocation unviable to start refineries

Also, most refineries do not see merit in importing raw sugar

After bitter season, sugar mills hit sweet spot

Sugar mills battling huge loans are looking at the future with optimism as prices start to rise once again amid fears of production shortfall

How the sugar industry shifted blame to fat

The Associated Press reported that candy makers were funding studies that claimed that children who eat candy tend to weigh less than those who do not