New Delhi. As the festive season is approaching in the country, politics regarding sugar prices is heating up. congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Has accused the government that sugar prices have increased by 40 percent in the last 3 months. He asked why the sugar stock in the country is the lowest in the last 9 years? Why is the government not reconsidering the policy of using sugarcane and grains for ethanol production?
Referring to the lowest stock (India sugar prices) and 10 lakh tonne import in the last nine years, Kharge said that the import depends on the balance of sugar and not on production, consumption, stock, prices or E20. He said that the initial production estimate for 2025-26 was 349 lakh tonnes, which has now come down to about 280 lakh tonnes.
BJP responded to Kharge's allegations
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Amit Malviya Responded to these allegations of Congress on social media. Malviya said that linking sugar prices and imports with the E20 policy is just a political convenience.
What did Amit Malviya say –
The initial production of sugar in the year 2025-26 was 349 lakh tonnes, which has actually reduced to about 280 lakh tonnes. A sharp decline in sugar production and stagnation in consumption have put pressure on closing stocks (India sugar prices). This has put pressure on prices. Importing sugar is a balanced policy process to keep the availability and prices under control in the domestic market. Linking it to E20 goes against the data. Pointing out that even during the UPA-2 era, i.e. between 2009 to 2014, there was huge import of sugar even when there was no E20 ethanol policy, BJP leader Amit Malviya clarified that the ethanol policy has no direct connection with this price hike.