Indian Sugar Industry Meeting with Food Secretary, 6 th August, 2012

Balance Sheet S.NoParticulars Quantity (Lakh tons) As per Govt.As per ISMA AOpening stock of sugar (1 st October, 2012)6855 BProduction ( estimated)260 CTotal Sugar Availability = (A+B) DTotal Sugar releases ( book-balance)210 EExport till 30th Sep, 2012 ( estimated)35 FTotal sugar outflow = (D+E)245 Closing stock as on 30th September, 2012 = (C-F)8370 2

Sugar Production Projections for S.NoStatesYear Cane Acreage (Lac hectares) Sugar Production (Lac tons) 1.Uttar Pradesh Maharashtra* Karnataka Tamil Nadu Gujarat Andhra Pradesh Other* All India *

1. Levy Sugar Liabilities on Sugar Industry  10% of production as levy since  In , increased to 20%, because of low estimated production of 145 lakh tons, which actually turned out to 189 lakh  21 lakh tons of levy carried forward as on 1 st Oct, 2011  Worth Rs.6000 crore  Adding obligations, total levy available was 47 lakh  Usual average lifting of lakh, would leave carry forward of 30 lakh for next year 4

Actual Lifting of sugar 5 Annual levy requirement on paper -27 lakh tonnes * Data not available beyond April 2009

Problems of Carry Forward of past liabilities  Levy obligations of mills can be carried forward by 2 years  Higher inventory burden/ blocked storage space  Blocked cash flows: cane price arrears  Higher interest burden, borrowed at 14-16%  Quality deterioration in terms of colour, lumps and sucrose  Payment by Govt. at previous year’s rate  If supplied from new season’s production, costs are higher, but rates are still of previous season 6

Status of Levy Sugar on 30 Sept 2012  Unreleased quantities:  Plus, there would be some unlifted quantities also 7 ParticularsSeasonQuantity (lakh tons) Levy Sugar available in Releases from past obligationsUpto Releases from current year prod Total Releases ( upto Sept)26.52 Levy converted into non-levyUpto Balance levy obligation as on 1 st Oct

Our Requests for levy sugar….  Conversion of past liabilities  conversion to be done immediately  Reasonable Carry Forward of past liabilities  Till new production is available for levy  Conversion of past liabilities automatically  Announcement of new season’s price before 30 th Sept

2. Compulsory jute packaging order  JPMA, 1987 covered food-grains, cement, fertiliser and sugar.  Cement and fertilizers excluded in1998 and in 2001 respectively.  Ministry of Textiles administers JPMA, jute being their subject.  Sugar Directorate administers Sugar Packing & Marking Order  It permanently requires compulsory packing in 50 kg jute bags only.  There is an Act viz. JPMA, this Order should be repealed  SAC has to annually recommend for packing in jute bags  Imported jute or the bags can’t be used for foodgrains & sugar 9

Problems being faced by Sugar Industry  Inadequate jute/jute bags in India ( accepted in Parliament too)  10% of requirement is always imported from Bangladesh  Poor quality of jute bags  Big gaps lead to leakage and moisture regain  Below standard bags, weight and dimension problems, causing mills to fill extra sugar to match gross weight and problems in stacking  Jute bags cost more than double that of PP/HDPE bags  Translates into additional cost of 40 paise per kilo of sugar  Rs.1000 crore annual loss to mills, reduces payment to farmers  Govt. agencies protected by administered price 10

Sugar should be removed from JPMA  Imports and compulsory packing cannot go together  SAC recommended for 20% compulsory packing of sugar in jute bags for jute year (July-June)  CCEA note for same expected soon  Food Ministry should recommend for complete removal of sugar  Gaps in jute bags allow air, good for foodgrains, bad for sugar  When shortage, sugar should be first completely taken out from JPMA  Treat sugar industry at par with other private industries like cement and fertilisers 11

3. High cost of production: Low ex-mill price: Two largest cane producing states (Rs/ qtl)

Thank You