Business
‘No sugar shortage’: India has adequate stocks to meet domestic demand, says govt
New Delhi, Aug 26: India is not facing a sugar shortage as adequate stocks are available to meet domestic demand until the new crushing season begins in October, the government said on Wednesday.
It clarified that the share of sugar diverted for ethanol production has declined from around 12 per cent in 2022-23 to around 9 per cent in 2025-26. Moreover, nearly three-fourths of the ethanol produced in the country now comes from grains, particularly maize, it said, refuting claims that the diversion of sugar for producing ethanol was leading to the price rise of the sweetener.
Simultaneously, retail sugar prices for consumers have also remained broadly stable, increasing by only around 3 per cent annually between August 2024 and July 2026, according to the government factsheet.
Sugar prices have increased in recent weeks, from Rs 48.18 per kg on July 20 to Rs 55.70 per kg on August 20. This reflects an increase of around 15.6 per cent within one month. This suggests the current uptick largely reflects short-term supply and market factors, rather than a shift in the underlying price trend, the factsheet states.
The present increase in sugar prices is due to a combination of factors, including lower-than-expected domestic production, increased demand ahead of the festive season, and weather-related damage to the sugarcane crop. Besides, tightening global sugar supplies and rising prices, as well as speculation and hoarding by some sections of the industry, are other factors behind the price rise, the statement said.
Sugar production during the current season is expected to be around 306 LMT, compared to the initial estimate of around 343 LMT. Production has been affected by two factors: Red Rot and Top Borer disease, and waterlogging caused by excess rainfall. However, despite the lower-than-estimated production, adequate sugar stocks are available in the country to meet domestic demand. The new crushing season will begin in October.
The tightening of sugar supplies is a global phenomenon and is not limited just to India. The global sugar deficit for 2026-27 is estimated at around 33 lakh MT. As a result, international sugar prices have risen sharply from $474/tonnes on June 30, 2026 to $552/tonnes on August 20, 2026. This marks an increase of over 16 per cent in less than two months, the factsheet points out.
It also states that the ethanol programme has helped sugarcane farmers and strengthened sugar mills. On average, India produces around 300-340 lakh MT of sugar annually and its domestic sugar consumption is around 280-290 lakh MT each year.
In years of surplus production, excess stocks block the funds of sugar mills and delay payments to sugarcane farmers. Diversion of excess sugar towards ethanol has helped address this structural problem and improved the financial health of sugar mills. The area under sugarcane cultivation has also increased from 49.27 lakh hectares in 2015-16 to 58.87 lakh hectares in 2025-26.
As of August 20, 2026, 97 per cent of sugarcane dues for the 2025-26 sugar season have already been paid to farmers. The improved financial position of sugar mills has reduced their dependence on government support, the statement added.
Business
Meta to report child safety cases to India’s I4C cybercrime portal (Lead)

New Delhi, Sep 15: Meta will directly report child safety matters to India’s Cybercrime portal managed by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), the US-based technology giant said on Tuesday.
The decision comes amid heightened scrutiny of Meta in India over the alleged circulation and promotion of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) through advertisements on Instagram.
The government has said the online safety of children is a fundamental principle for every social media platform operating in India and remains non-negotiable, according to government sources. The commitment by Meta is being seen as a first step towards strengthening safeguards for children on social media platforms, they added.
Meta — in a statement on the ongoing issue — said protecting children on its platforms is a priority and that it is committed to working with the government to ensure perpetrators of such crimes are held responsible.
“To collectively strengthen our efforts to combat this harm, Meta will now report child safety matters directly to the Cyber crime portal managed by I4C,” a Meta spokesperson said.
Social media platforms can be used to circulate or facilitate access to CSAM and other forms of child exploitation.
Reporting such cases to law enforcement agencies would help ensure that such incidents are not dealt with solely through platforms’ internal content-moderation systems.
The government has stressed that more needs to be done and that discussions are continuing with other social media platforms to proactively identify and remove harmful content.
It has also warned that action could be taken against platforms that fail to adopt adequate proactive measures to protect children online.
The development comes amid growing global scrutiny of social media platforms over risks to children, including exposure to sexual exploitation, harmful content and online abuse.
In India, social media platforms are governed by the Information Technology Act and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which prescribe due-diligence obligations for intermediaries.
Meta had faced scrutiny after an investigation by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) found that Facebook and Instagram carried paid advertisements featuring child sexual abuse material this year, including AI-manipulated images of real children.
The investigation also found more than 300 advertisements featuring AI-generated child sexual abuse material on Meta’s platforms.
Business
Indian equities open higher defying weak global cues

Mumbai, Sep 15: Indian equity benchmarks opened higher on Tuesday despite global markets remaining under pressure amid elevated US bond yields and crude oil prices.
Sensex opened at 75,369.63, up 587.87 points or 0.79 per cent, while Nifty began trading at 23,576.15, higher by 178.05 points or 0.76 per cent. The gains were led by information technology stocks as Nifty IT index jumped more than 4 per cent, while the Nifty MidSmall IT & Telecom index rose nearly 2 per cent.
Other sectors, Nifty FMCG gained 0.72 per cent, while Nifty Auto rose 0.31 per cent. Media, energy and private banking indices were also marginally higher.
In contrast, Nifty Metal fell 0.58 per cent, while Nifty Financial Services Ex-Bank and Nifty MidSmall Financial Services declined 0.52 per cent and 0.5 per cent, respectively. Nifty Pharma fell 0.37 per cent, while cement, healthcare, consumer durables and realty indices also traded lower.
Among Nifty 50 stocks, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Grasim Industries, BEL, Shriram Finance and InterGlobe Aviation were top losers which declined between nearly 1 per cent and 1.67 per cent.
“Global equity markets will be under pressure from the US 10-year yield hitting the psychological 5 per cent mark. The macro scenario will continue to be under pressure from rising crude prices,” according to market experts.
The continuing boom in the initial public offering market and the outperformance of the broader market were also cited as positives for domestic equities, according to market experts.
On the Nifty’s technical outlook, the expert said the pullback from the 23,260-23,000 region suggested the index was attempting a swing higher after approaching oversold territory, they said.
“This mean reversion move could potentially aim for 23,720,” the experts said, while cautioning that failure to clear 23,515, or a direct fall below the 23,260-23,000 region, could bring the 22,600-21,800 range into focus.
Business
India‑UAE ties grow into a model for BRICS collaboration: Report

New Delhi, Sep 14: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India are broadening a strategic and economic partnership that serves as “an effective model of cooperation within BRICS,” a new report has said.
The partnership is built on a foundation of historic ties, shared interests and major projects that promote trade, investment and logistics connectivity between markets, the report from Gulf Today said.
“The growing UAE-India partnership, reflected in expanding trade, increasingly integrated logistics corridors and cooperation in investment and innovation, provides a practical model of the UAE’s role within BRICS,” the report said.
Further, the partnership also proves UAE’s commitment to exchanging expertise and perspectives and building more integrated and sustainable economic partnerships.
Bilateral trade reached $101.25 billion in FY26, marking the second consecutive year in which trade between the two countries exceeded $100 billion. The UAE and India have set a target to raise bilateral trade to $200 billion by 2032.
The partnership is being advanced through initiatives such as Bharat Mart, the Virtual Trade Corridor and cooperation under the India‑Middle East‑Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
“These initiatives are helping strengthen supply chain integration and create new routes for trade and investment flows between the two countries and global markets,” the report noted.
The UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), operational since 2022 was hailed as the first agreement of its kind concluded by the UAE. The agreement has bolstered the flow of goods, services and investment and expanded opportunities for the private sector in both countries.
United Arab Emirates and China were the largest destinations within BRICS, together accounting for 88.50 per cent of India’s electronics exports to the grouping.
The number of Indian companies registered as active members of Dubai Chamber reached 85,841 by the end of June 2026 after 7,579 new Indian firms joined in the first half of the year, marking a year‑on‑year increase of 15 per cent, another report said.
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