Sugar mills in India’s prime producing state Maharashtra are set to cease cane crushing 45 to 60 days sooner than final yr as heavy rain has curtailed sugar cane availability, a senior state authorities official advised Reuters on Friday.

The western state of Maharashtra, which accounts for greater than a 3rd of the nation’s sugar output, may produce 12.8 million tonnes of sugar within the 2022/23 advertising and marketing yr that started on Oct. 1, down from an earlier forecast of 13.8 million tonnes, Maharashtra’s sugar commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad stated.

Lower sugar output may stop the world’s second-biggest exporter from permitting extra exports, probably supporting world costs SBc1, LSUc1 and permitting rivals Brazil and Thailand to extend their shipments.