Curbs on sugar exports to stay beyond October

The government on Wednesday extended curbs on sugar exports beyond the end of October as it tries to keep local prices in check, meet ethanol production requirements and ensure adequate closing stock at the end of the sugar season.

- Puja Das

In October 2022, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) placed exports of raw, white and refined sugar in the restricted category, requiring exporters to secure permission from the food ministry to sell overseas. The restriction was to stay in place until further orders or 31 October 2023, whichever was earlier. Wednesday’s notification adds organic sugar to the category and extends the curbs “till further orders" without specifying an end date.

However, the restriction does not apply to sugar exported to the European Union and the US under the CXL and TRQ quota systems, the DGFT notification clarified.