Guwahati: Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) is optimistic about sugar exports touching over 9 million tonnes.

India, the world's second-largest sugar producer after Brazil, has exported 7 million tonnes of the sweetener, so far in the ongoing 2021-22 marketing year, and exports from the country may touch a new record of 9 million tonnes, industry body ISMA said on Thursday.

The country had exported a record 7,23 million tonnes of the sweetener in the 2020-21 marketing year with much of the shipments undertaken with the help of government subsidies.

It said the country's sugar output has risen to 34.23 million tonnes till April of the current marketing year, from 30 million tonnes in the year-ago period. The sugar marketing year runs from October to September.

"As per reports from the trade, around 8.2-8.3 million tonnes of sugar export have been contracted for so far. Out of that, about 6.8-7 million tonnes of sugar is estimated to have been physically exported from India up to April," ISMA said.

On sugar production, ISMA said it has risen by 14 percent to 34.23 million tonnes during the October-April period of the 2021-22 marketing year, from over the year-ago period.

On the ethanol front, ISMA said mills have supplied 168.66 crore litres of ethanol to oil marketing companies till April 24 of this year.

Mills have further contracted for a supply of 410.32 crore litres of ethanol against the total letter of the intent quantity of 425.17 crore litres for this year, it added.