Sugar industry is an important agro-based industry that impacts rural livelihood of about 50 million sugarcane farmers and around 5 lakh workers directly employed in sugar mills. Employment is also generated in various ancillary activities relating to transport, trade servicing of machinery and supply of agriculture inputs. India is the second largest producer of sugar in the world after Brazil and is also the largest consumer. Today Indian sugar industry’s annual output is worth approximately Rs.80, 000 crores. There are 735 installed sugar factories in the country as on 31.01.2018, with sufficient crushing capacity to produce around 340 lakh MT of sugar. The capacity is roughly distributed equally between private sector units and cooperative sector units.