Sugar is produced from sugarcane, sugar-beet or any crop possessing sugar content. However, in India, sugarcane is the primary source of sugar. Currently, this is the second largest agro-based industry in India. India is the largest producer of sugarcane and the second-largest producer of sugar. The sugar industry involves a capital investment of Rs. 1,250 crore and employs 2.86 lakh workers. Read on to find out more about the sugar industry and the top Sugar Manufacturing Companies in India
History of Sugar Industry in India
Although sugarcane was being grown in India from ancient time and sugar produced in lumps during the fourth century, there was no proper sugar industry until 1904.
The first sugar plant was set up in Bihar in the year 1904.
Around 800 B.C, China procured sugarcane as the soil conditions there were perfect for its growth. Manufacture of sugar in India was originally carried out through crushing cane by a heavyweight, boiling the juice, and stirring till it forms solids.
With the appearance of several sugar mills in Bihar a well as UP, the latest sugar processing industry started using a direct vacuum pan method. The Indian legislature established the Sugar Industry Protection Act in 1932.
Problems faced by the Sugar Industry
The sugar industry in India is plagued with many severe problems which call for immediate attention. Some of the issues are :
- Low Yield of Sugarcane:
Although India has the most extensive area under sugarcane cultivation, the yield per hectare is meagre compared to the major sugarcane producing countries. Attempts are being made to resolve this problem by introducing high yielding, frost resistant, early maturing and high sucrose content varieties of sugarcane.
- Short crushing season:
The manufacturing of sugar is a seasonal phenomenon with a short crushing season commonly varying from 4 to 7 months in a year. One possible method to improve the crushing season is to sow and harvest sugarcane at precise intervals in various areas joining the sugar mill.
- Fluctuating Production Trends:
Sugarcane competes with many other foods and cash crops like cotton, oilseeds, rice, etc. Consequently, the land available for sugarcane cultivation is not same, and the Production of sugarcane varies. This will affect the supply of sugarcane to the mills.
- High cost of Production:
The high cost of sugarcane, uneconomic Production, and inefficient technology and substantial excise duty results in a high manufacturing cost. Production cost can be minimized through the conventional utilization of by-products.
Here is a list of the top 10 Sugar Manufacturing Companies in India
| Company Name | Established on | Headquarters | No. of employees |
| E.I.D Parry (India) Ltd. | 1788 | Chennai | 50,000 |
| Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd. | 1998 | Mumbai | 10,000+ |
| Andhra Sugars Ltd. | 1947 | Tanuku | 2200 |
| Mawana Sugars Ltd. | 1961 | New Delhi | 1000-5000 |
| KM Sugar Mills Ltd. | 1941 | Kanpur | 361 |
| Sakthi Sugars Ltd. | 1961 | Erode | 1600 |
| Ugar Sugar Works Ltd. | 1938 | Belagavi(Karnataka) | 2210 |
| Avadh Sugar & Energy Ltd. | 2015 | Sitapur Dist. | N/A |
| Triveni Engineering and Industries Ltd. | 1932 | Noida | 3600 |
| Dhampur Sugar Mills Ltd. | 1933 | New Delhi | 2800 |
E.I.D Parry (India) Ltd.
E.I.D. – Parry (India) Limited is a company engaged in the marketing of Sugar and Nutraceuticals. “Parry” has always been a household name for more than 225 years. The Company holds the superiority of setting up India’s first sugar plant in 1842 at Nellikuppam and even today continues to explore new paths.
Among the top Sugar Manufacturing Companies in India, E.I.D. Parry’s nine sugar plants are dispersed across South India. E.I.D. Parry is a pioneer in organic spirulina as well as microalgal products in the Nutraceuticals space.
- Market Cap: 5131.97 Cr
- Book Value: 96.82
- Face Value: 1.00
- Dividend Yield: Nil
- Total assets: 15,024.02 Cr
Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd.
Shree Renuka Sugars is an agribusiness and bio-energy corporation. The Company is one of the highest sugar producers globally, the best sugar manufacturer in our country, and one of the world’s largest sugar refiners. Tarting with just a single sugar mill in Karnataka in the year 1998, the Company has evolved to become the largest sugar company in India, running seven integrated sugar mills and two world-class port-based refineries.
Their primary vision is to be amongst the top three integrated sugar companies in the world.
- Market Cap: 1903.40 Cr
- Book Value: -0.63
- Face Value: 1.00
- Dividend Yield: Nil
- Total assets: 6218.84 Cr
Andhra Sugars Ltd.
Andhra Sugars Ltd was established in 1947. The primary focus was to make use of locally available renewable resources to create value-added products, generate employment and upliftment of rural India.
They were the first Indian Company to promote indigenous technology for the manufacture of Aspirin.
Their sugar plant is the only one in India that operates the diffusion process in sugar production successfully, with diffusers that were created and approved by us using technology from Desmet of Belgium.
- Market Cap: 831.47 Cr
- Book Value: 374.17
- Face Value: 10.00
- Dividend Yield: 6.06
- Total assets: 604.52 Cr
Mawana Sugars Ltd.
Mawana Sugars established retail sugar manufacturing with its ‘Mawana’ brand of sugar in India since the year 1994. Obtainable in retail packs of 1 kg, 2 kg, 5 kg, as well as Rs 5 value pack, the brand has developed as the most extensive selling retail sugar pack in India, demanding a premium in a competitive marketplace.
- Market Cap: 112.27 Cr
- Book Value: 81.13
- Face Value: 10.00
- Dividend Yield: Nil
- Total assets: 1484.40 Cr
K.M. Sugar Mills Ltd.
Initially, the Company was founded as a partnership firm in the year 1942. The Singhanias and Jhunjhunwalas established the Company. They had fixed up a small sugar milling plant at Kanpur. The mill underwent an acute shortage of cane, and then the plant was shifted to Faizabad.
The Company also built its name in the field of Sugar Export-Import, domestic sugar trading, with other manufacturing activities.
The Company’s plan is to expand its business into the manufacturing, bottling, and selling of liquor.
- Market Cap: 109.94 Cr
- Book Value: 20.36
- Face Value: 2.00
- Dividend Yield: Nil
- Total assets: 526.88 Cr
Sakthi Sugars Ltd.
Sakthi Sugars Ltd. has four Sugar plants, with three of them in Tamil Nadu and one plant in Orissa. With an aggregate capacity of 19,000 Tonnes of cane Crush per Day, Sakthi Sugars Ltd. is one of the most extensive sugar producers in the country.
Expanding its industrial appearance, Sakthi Sugars Limited expanded into the manufacturing of Industrial Alcohol in 1972.
Sakthi Sugars Limited is one of the significant members of the Sakthi Group, supplying a large share of revenue to the group’s turnover.
- Market Cap: 106.25 Cr
- Book Value: -13.51
- Face Value: 10.00
- Dividend Yield: Nil
- Total assets: 1832.47 Cr
Ugar Sugar Works Ltd.
The Ugar Sugar Works Ltd is known to be the flagship organization of the Shirgaokar Group of Companies. This company has been associated with the manufacture of white crystal sugar for more than 75 years. The Ugar Sugar Works Limited has been running its 44 MW Bagasse based Cogeneration Power Plant, one of the largest power plants of its type in India
- Market Cap: 171.79 Cr
- Book Value: -5.65
- Face Value: 1.00
- Dividend Yield: 0.58
- Total assets: 829.60 Cr
Avadh Sugar & Energy Ltd.
Avadh Sugar & Energy Ltd. manufactures sugar and its products. The Company provides even industrial alcohol, ethanol, as well as rectified spirits. Avadh Sugar & Energy maintains and operates power generation plants.
The sugar segment consists of the manufacture, trading of Sugar, Molasses and Bagasse. Its sugar mills include Seohara Sugar Mills, Hargaon Sugar Mills, Rosa Sugar Works and India Sugar Mills
- Market Cap: 381.85 Cr
- Book Value: -295.62
- Face Value: 10.00
- Dividend Yield: 1.82
- Total assets: 2859.08 Cr
Triveni Engineering and Industries Ltd.
Triveni Engineering is one among the largest Sugar manufacturers in India.
They have two primary business segments, i.e., sugar and engineering, which are mutually independent regarding growth factors and environment. The sugar business is immune to the changes in the global economy and is dependent on the sugar cycle only. The Sugar business commits itself to grow into a desirable company by producing products and services at competitive costs.
- Market Cap: 1879.42 Cr
- Book Value: 51.25
- Face Value: 1.00
- Dividend Yield: 1.45
- Total assets: 3936.02 Cr
Dhampur Sugar Mills Ltd.
Dhampur Sugar Mills was the first-ever company in India to manufacture sulphurless refined Sugar. It has a crushing capacity of 45500 metric tonnes of cane each day. Dhampur can provide 1700 MT per day of refined sugar. The refined sugar is also sold in 1kg and 5kg consumer packs under the brand ‘Dhampure Sulphurless Sugar’. Dhampur can use raw sugar obtained from outside to produce refined sugar.
- Market Cap: 973.24 Cr
- Book Value: 207.12
- Face Value: 10.00
- Dividend Yield: 3.32
- Total assets: 2173.45 Cr
FAQs
What is the position of the Indian sugar industry?
The sugar industry holds great significance for the economy of India by saving enormous amounts of foreign exchange by not importing sugar from foreign countries.
In India, the sugar industry is in the second position amongst the most prominent industries after the Cotton Industry.
What is the size of the sugar industry in India?
Periodically, the sugar industry provides approximately 300-350 million tonnes of cane, 20-23 million tonnes of white sugar and 6-8 million tonnes of jaggery and Khandsari to satisfy the domestic consumption demand sweeteners.
How many sugar industries are there in India?
487 sugar mills are operating in the country as of 15th January 2021 and produced 142.70 lac tons of sugar.
Which is the first sugar mill in India?
The first sugar mill was fixed up in Uttar Pradesh in the year 1903.
Conclusion
This article gives you a thorough account of the Sugar Industry and the Top Sugar Manufacturing Companies in India. These companies have pushed India to the top, making it the largest producer of sugar.