Sugar Industry

The most common ingredient in a human’s daily life is sugar. India produced over 37 million metric tons of sugar in 2022, ultimately keeping sugarcane growers afloat and employing about 500,000 people in the sugar industry. Sugar originates from both sugarcane and sugar beets; therefore, it is probably utilized in many dishes and drinks, such as cookies, soft drinks, candies, etc.

In ancient times, people made sugar from sugar cane in India and then spread it worldwide. In India, sugarcane is harvested three times a year, in October, March, and July, depending on the part of the country. 

Importance of the Sugar Industry

  • Moreover, India produces more sugar than is required at home and has exported it for growth in our foreign exchange reserve and GDP.
  • Five crore farmers receive direct employment through the sugar industry, providing indirect employment to many more.
  • Furthermore, sugarcane processing yields additional products aside from sugar. This process generates molasses and bagasse, which serve as the origin of biofuel. Additionally, farmers feed molasses to farm animals, while the paper industry utilizes bagasse as a raw material. 

Production of Sugar cane

production of sugarcane—sugar industry
  • Regarding sugarcane production, after Brazil, India is the second-highest producer of sugarcane in the world.
  • Maharashtra is the largest producer of sugarcane, producing over 138 lakh metric tons of sugarcane in 2022–23.
  • Sugarcane makes sugar, jaggery, molasses, khansari, and even paper, and it is a multipurpose crop.
  • Furthermore, as of May 2023, India is the world’s largest producer of sugarcane. In 2021–2022, India produced 394 million metric tons of sugarcane. 

Cultivation of sugarcane

cultivation of sugar - sugar industry - TLS

Moving on to the cultivation of sugarcane, which is grown in India’s tropical and subtropical regions. The primary sugar cane-growing states were:

  • Subtropical: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab, and Bihar
  • Largest producer: Uttar Pradesh 

Apart from high altitudes and colder climates like Kashmir Valley, Arunachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, sugar cane is cultivated throughout the country.

The two main groups of cultivated sugar cane were:

  • Thin, hardy north Indian types
  • Thick, juicy, noble canes

Sugarcane planting occurred in three distinct seasons:

  • Suru: January–February
  • Adsali: July–August
  • Pre-seasonal: October–November 

Licenses for the sugar industry

Regarding licenses for the sugar industry, a few are necessary:

  • Authority of India (FSSAI) License: This is necessary for food grain grinding and milling.
  • Government license: All sugar wholesalers require this before they may start selling. 
  • IEC license: This is compulsory before starting any business related to the importing or exporting of goods from one country to another.
  • Consent to Establish (CTE): The proprietor purchases this before establishing the sugar industry.
  • Consent to Operate (CTO): After the sugar industry is established and ready for manufacturing, the owner acquires it. 

Production of raw sugar

production of raw sugar - sugar industry

Now, let’s Look into into the production of raw sugarThese are the steps in producing sugar from sugar cane:  

  • Harvesting and transportation to the sugar factories
  • Cutting
  • Crushing
  • Extracting juice
  • Clarification
  • Evaporation
  • Crystallisation
  • Centrifugation
  • Refining

Sugar Manufacturing Process

Sugar manufacturing -sugar industry in india-the local strategist

Moving on to the manufacturing process, sugar is made from sugar cane.

There are several stages to this process; these are:

Juice Extraction

The initial step of the sugar manufacturing process is the extraction of juice, and It involves flattening the stems and breaking up the nodes of the cane. The juice is then collected, filtered, and, at times, treated.

Sugar Refining

Sugar mills sell raw sugar to sugar refineries and melt, purify, and recrystallize it to produce food-grade sugars like liquid glucose, ice sugar, brown sugar, etc.

Juice Purification

That is an essential step in sugar factories, as it gives thin juice that can concentrated to obtain thick juice.

Evaporation

It is the process of changing substances from liquid to gas. In a sugar solution, it removes the water and leaves sugar crystals.

Crystallisation

This process occurs in an empty heating pan, and filling the pan with thick juice helps the particles evaporate until saturated. During a strike, seed crystals are introduced to stimulate the growth of sugar crystals until they reach a specific size.

Clarification

In a sugar factory, clarifying involves filtering substances other than table sugar and reducing the loss of table sugar and color formation.

Drying

Drying sugar removes excess moisture from sugar during heating. Sugar is dried using overheated steam. A circular drier is used to extract water and lower the moisture content of wet raw sugar.

Molasses

It is a thick, dark syrup that remains from the sugar-making process. Crushing sugarcane to get juice is the technique for making molasses, then boiling the juice to form sugar crystals and removing the crystals from the liquid.

Importance of Sugar

importance of sugar: sugar industry: TLS

Regarding the significance of sugar:

  • Sugar is essential for the body because it gives energy to the brain, muscles, and nervous system. 
  • Also, it prevents the body from absorbing protein as glucose and helps in the metabolism of fats.
  • Sugar served as a sweetener in food to add a sweet flavor and functioned as an energy item like glucose.
  • Sugars are vital for cell functions and the structure and operation of cells.

However, too much sugar can contribute to health; it may cause diseases like diabetes, obesity, and tooth decay. Our bodies require a specific type of sugar called glucose, which provides energy.

List of Top Sugar Industry in India

India has 521 sugar mills operating in the current sugar season (2022–23). Some of the industries are as follows:

Bajaj Hindustha Sugar Limited

Headquarters: NCR, Uttar Pradesh

Industry: Food and Beverage Services

Company Size: 5,001–10,000 employees

935 associated members 

Founded: 1931

Shree Renuka Sugars

Headquarters: Worli, Mumbai

Industry: Food and Beverage Services

Company Size: 10,001+ employees

1,269 associated members 

Founded: 1998

Dwarikesh Sugar Industries Ltd

Headquarters: Mumbai

Industry: Food and Beverage Services

Company size: 1,001-5,000 employees

242 associated members 

Founded: 1995

Simbhaoli Sugars Limited

Headquarters: New Delhi

Industry: Food and Beverage Manufacturing

Company Size: 1,001–5,000 employees

359 associated members 

Founded: 1933

Uttam Sugar Mills Ltd

Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh 

Industry: Food and Beverage Services

Company Size: 1,001–5,000 employees

370 associated members

Founded: 1993

Conclusion

In conclusion, the sugar industry is agro-based. India’s sugar industry is a significant player in the worldwide market, but it is not easy to maintain its sustainability and prosperity. It is a crucial aspect of the Indian economy, employing many people and making a significant contribution to the GDP of the entire country.

FAQs

Triveni Sugar Mill in Khatauli is the biggest sugar mill in India and began operation in 1933.

These are the four types of sugar:

  • Glucose.
  • Fructose 
  • Sucrose 
  • Lactose

The world’s biggest producer of sugar is Brazil, with a total of 38 million metric tons of sugar produced and exported about 28.2 million metric tons.

Sugar industries in India are located in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh.

The first sugar factory in India was the Dharampur Sugar Mill, which was established in 1903 in Dhampur, Uttar Pradesh.

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