As many as 184 sugar mills have produced 12.85 lakh tonnes of sugar between October 1 and November 5, marking a sharp increase of 9.65 lakh tonnes over the corresponding period last year.

According to the Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA), 136 mills have started operations in Maharashtra and 19 in Uttar Pradesh. More mills in Uttar Pradesh are expected to commence crushing after Deepavali.

Seven mills each in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are continuing operations from the special crushing season.

With opening stocks of 36 lakh tonnes carried over from the previous season, domestic sugar availability remains comfortable, ISMA said in a press release on Friday.