India bans sugar exports until September 30, exempts quota shipments

India on Wednesday prohibited sugar exports with immediate effect till September 30, 2026, as the government moved to ensure adequate domestic availability and contain food inflation.

In a notification, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said the export policy for raw, white and refined sugar has been changed from "restricted" to "prohibited" with immediate effect.

The prohibition will remain in force till September 30, 2026, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

However, the ban will not apply to shipments to the European Union and the United States under CXL and tariff-rate quota (TRQ) arrangements.

Exports under the Advance Authorisation Scheme (AAS) will also continue as per existing rules.

India, the world's second-largest sugar producer, had previously allowed limited exports under a restricted regime.

The DGFT said government-to-government exports to meet food security needs of other countries will be allowed based on requests from their governments.

The government said sugar exports would still be allowed for consignments already in the export pipeline. This includes cargoes that had begun loading before the notification was published, shipments where a shipping bill had been filed and the vessel had already berthed or anchored at an Indian port, and consignments handed over to customs or custodians and recorded in their electronic systems before the ban took effect.

If the export curbs are not extended beyond September 30, 2026, the export policy will revert to "restricted", the notification said.