Low-income groups may drive branded sugar demand by '30

Institutional consumption dominated India's sugar demand at 60-65% in 2023-24, says Isma report

- SANJEEB MUKHERJEE

Even as India's overall sugar consumption is projected to grow at a modest rate of 1.5-2 per cent per annum from the 2024-25 to 2029-30 season, people in the low-income categories are likely to show higher consumption growth in branded refined sugar compared to those in the high-and-medium-income groups, a recent study by the Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (Isma) has found. The sugar season runs from October to September.

The demand growth in the low-income category is expected to be driven mainly by packaged branded sugar as well as traditionally consumed gur (jaggery) and khandsari, which have a cultural preference as well, the study found.