Aurangabad Jan 20 (PTI) Extended monsoon and lack of sunlight last year could lead to drop in sugar production in Maharashtra this season, said an official from the National Federation of Co-operative Sugar Factories Limited.

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Jaiprakash Dandegaonkar, chairman of NFCSF, an umbrella organisation of sugar cooperatives from across the country, said on Friday that adverse climatic conditions in 2022 affected sugarcane yield in several areas of the state.

“The rain stayed for a long time, there was waterlogging in sugarcane fields. This was an issue in many parts of the state. There was also less sunlight last year which impacted the growth of sugarcane,” said Dandegaonkar.

Sugarcane production has come down to nearly 25 tons per acre from about 40 tons in the last season, he said. Sugarcane production in Maharashtra in the 2021-22 season stood at 1,321 lakh tons. The state tops the country in sugarcane production.

The drop in per-acre yield is even worse in the Marathwada region. “This may lead to less sugar production this year,” Dandegaonkar said.

The state produced nearly 130 lakh tons of sugar in the last season, he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)