ISLAMABAD, May 4: The domestic sugar production soared by 28 per cent or 700,000 tons to 3.2 million tons during the current season against 2.5 million tons production of the last year.

And the sugar produce remained short of 10 per cent of the highest-ever production recorded at 3.55 million tons, said Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) secretary general K. Ali Qazilbash in a statement issued on Saturday.

The final figure has been calculated on the actual production numbers returned by individual mills across the country, which have been reporting conclusion of crushing activity by April 30.

But the excellent production, according to the secretary general was no good news for the industry, at a loss to deal with the carryover stocks of 600,000 tons.

He said that in the absence of viable export avenues, high production this season was bound to result in leftover stocks even higher than now on hand.

PSMA had foreseen an abundant sugarcane harvest and, therefore, high sugar production in July 2001 when early monsoon brought welcome rainfall amid a year of low irrigation supplies.

Elaborating the main cause of high sugar yield, he said that one of the factors leading to higher productivity this year was shifting of the crushing season from November to December, which allowed the sugarcane crop to mature before the harvest.