Sugar consumption is stagnant in India: Govt

Speaking at the launch of the portal (https://meetha.org) of the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), Food secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said that the myths about sugar consumption in India need to be addressed. He added that India’s annual sugar consumption stood at 25-26 million tonnes, while production reached 27.5 million tonnes in the 2019-20 season-ending September. He also said that India’s per capita consumption remained stagnant at 19 kg for the past three years, much lower than the world’s average at 23.5 kg.

Pandey stated that there is a need to also address misunderstandings about Indian sugar abroad. It is generally believed that it is not as good as Brazilian and Thai sugar, which is not the case. “To counter false narrative, the ISMA should come out with its portal in international and regional languages for better reach,” he said.

Meanwhile, Joint secretary in the food ministry Subodh Kumar Singh stated “We are a sugar-producing country and have surplus sugar. But our per capita consumption is very less. This is because rich people who can afford do not want to eat sugar… If sugar is harmful, it should be harmful in all developed and other countries where sugar consumption is more than the world’s average.”