India, Sept. 21 -- Sugar production in Maharashtra could fall by nearly 20 per cent during the upcoming crushing season due to lower sugarcane yields and a decline in the sugar recovery rate, according to the West India Sugar Mills Association (WISMA).

WISMA chairman Bhairavnath Thombre said Maharashtra had faced a severe rain shortfall this year, adversely affecting the yields of several crops, including sugarcane.

"These factors will result in sugar production falling by 20 per cent to nearly 80 lakh tonnes," Thombre told PTI.

Maharashtra produced nearly 99 lakh tonnes of sugar during the 2025-26 season and has remained one of the country's leading sugar-producing states.

Thombre said that although the area under sugarcane cultivat...