New Delhi: The sugarcane production of India is likely to fall short of the demand by 17 million tonnes (MT) at the end of this Plan period (2007-2012) from a surplus supply of 14 MT now, according to the Planning Commission.

The country is likely to produce 305.51 million tonnes of cane during 2011-12, compared with the consumption of 322.54 million tonnes, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jyotiraditya Scindia said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on July 20, citing a working group report of the Planning Commission.

Cane production touched 289.23 million tonnes in 2008-09 against the demand of 275.91 million tonnes. The projection can further dent the demand-supply matrix of sugar, the production of which is estimated to slump by a whopping 1.1 million tonnes in the 2008-09 season, ending September.

The report added that even the gap between the production and consumption of oilseeds may widen to the extent of declining to almost half of demand by 2012.

Oilseed production is projected to fall to 27.53 million tonnes, compared with the requirement of 53.39 million tonnes. India produced 28.13 million tonnes of oilseeds in 2008-09, compared with demand of 47.43 million tonnes.

Currently, about 40 per cent of India’s annual domestic requirement for vegetable oils is met through imports.

However, the silver lining is that the supply of foodgrains is likely to remain higher at 239.30 million tonnes against the demand of 234.26 million tonnes by 2012 on good output of both rice and wheat.

The production of pulses and coarse cereals may still lag at 15.73 million tonnes and 35.75 million tonnes against the consumption of 19.91 million tonnes and 38.19 million tonnes, respectively.