3 min readNew DelhiMay 14, 2026 01:57 AM IST The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) late on Wednesday prohibited export of raw, white and refined sugar with immediate effect till September 30 amid inflation and future supply-related concerns in the backdrop of the ongoing West Asia conflict. The prohibition will not apply to sugar exports to the European Union and the US under the preferential quota, the notification said. The prohibition on sugar exports will also not apply to the advance authorisation scheme (AAS), government-to-government exports, and consignments already in the physical export pipeline, it stated. The decision to ban sugar exports is seen more as a precautionary move, given the finely balanced supply and stocks position. Sugar production in the 2025-26 season (October-September) has been estimated at about 275 lakh tonnes . With opening stocks of 50 lakh tonnes, the total availability of 325 lakh tonnes can comfortably meet the projected domestic consumption requirement of 280 lakh tonnes. It will leave the closing stocks of sugar at 45 lakh tonnes, which is the …