India's sugar output for the 2025-26 season has been revised down 4.4 per cent to 28.3 million tonnes from an earlier first estimate of 29.6 million tonnes, trade body AISTA said on Friday, citing lower yields in key producing states due to adverse weather. Gross sugar production is expected at 31.5 million tonnes, with 3.2 million tonnes likely to be diverted for ethanol production, the All India Sugar Trade Association said in a statement. Output in the ongoing October-September season is still seen higher than the 26.2 million tonnes produced in 2024-25. The crop committee of AISTA said the season presented "extraordinary climatic challenges" across Maharashtra and neighbouring Karnataka, where continuous showers and extended cloudy weather disrupted sugarcane growth during crucial vegetative and maturation stages. Excessive rainfall in October caused severe disruption in Maharashtra's Marathwada region, leading to waterlogging, restricted field operations and crop stress, AIST