Sugar mills in India have exported 4.25 million tonnes of the sweetener so far in the ongoing 2020-21 marketing year ending September, with maximum shipments to Indonesia, trade body AISTA said on Friday.

Mills have contracted to export 5.85 million tonnes of sugar so far, as against the 6 million tonnes quota assigned by the food ministry in January this year, All India Sugar Trade Association (AISTA) said in a statement.

About 1,50,000 tonnes of sugar is left to be exported under the quota and some sugar mills are finding it difficult to locate small quantities left with mills, it said and requested the government to publish the unshipped export quota left with mills as on May 31. The sugar marketing year runs from October to September.

According to AISTA, mills have exported a total of 4.25 million tonnes of sugar from January 1 till June 7, 2021.

Of the total exports undertaken so far, maximum exports have been undertaken to Indonesia at 1.40 million tonnes so far this year, followed by Afghanistan at 5,20,905 tonnes and the UAE at 4,36,917 tonnes and Sri Lanka at 3,24,113 tonnes.

About 3,59,665 tonnes of sugar is under loading. An additional 4,98,462 tonnes is in transit and delivered to port-based refineries, it said. “The US has withdrawn oil restrictions on Iran and there are chances of sugar exports to Iran. India's highest sugar exports were to Iran last year," AISTA Chairman Praful Vithalani said.