India sugar production view slashed as El Nino hits, USDA says

Following are selected highlights from a report issued by the US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) post in New Delhi:

Indian sugar production for the 2026/27 season that started in October was revised down to 29.5 million metric tons from 33.6 million tons

"A severe rainfall deficit in 2026 is expected to reduce sucrose content in the cane, lowering effective harvesting area and overall cane production"


Total sugarcane crop projected at 434 million tons from 455 million tons the previous season, said the USDA

"A growing water shortage poses a significant risk to sugar mill operations, as drought-like conditions are expected to complicate milling in early 2027"