Lucknow: A two-day international conference on the future of the sugar industry began in Lucknow on Wednesday with industry leaders, scientists and policymakers focusing on sustainable growth, bio-energy
and technological transformation in the sector.
The conference, titled “Future Ready Sugar Industry: Pathway for Sustainable Growth”, is being jointly organised by the Uttar Pradesh Sugar Mills Association (UPSMA) and Greentech Consultants at Hotel Ramada on Kanpur Road. Uttar Pradesh, which leads the country in sugarcane production, sugar manufacturing and ethanol output, is hosting experts from countries including Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Egypt, the UK, the USA, Germany, South Africa and the Philippines.
The inaugural session began with Saraswati Vandana and was addressed by Uttar Pradesh Cane and Sugar Commissioner Ministi S. She said sugar mills need to move beyond conventional sugar production and focus on by-products and value-added manufacturing to meet environmental and economic challenges. She also stressed the government’s commitment towards ensuring timely payment to farmers.
Several senior figures from the sugar industry attended the event, including UPSMA chairman V.S. Banka, former chairman C.B. Patodia, DCM Shriram executive director R.L. Tamak and International Sugar Journal editor Arvind Chudasama.
During the event, the “Sharkara Bhushan” awards were presented to C.B. Patodia, Prof Narendra Mohan, P.S. Gehlot, Roshan Lal Tamak, Shankar Lal Sharma and V.S. Banka for their contribution to the sugar sector. Young Women Entrepreneur awards were also presented to Mansi Agrawal and Avantika Saraogi.
One of the key highlights of the conference was the keynote address by Arvind Chudasama, long-time editor of Sugar Industry International, who outlined how the global sugar sector is rapidly transforming into a bio-manufacturing and bio-economy driven industry.
He said the sector is diversifying beyond traditional sugar production into high-value products, specialty materials and sustainable aviation fuel. Referring to advances in synthetic biology, DNA engineering and cellular genomics, he said engineered microbes are increasingly being used to convert raw materials into complex molecules with commercial value.
Chudasama said global investment in synthetic biology has risen sharply from around 10 billion dollars in 2014 to 116.5 billion dollars in 2024, with projections of touching 330 billion dollars by 2030. He added that major economies including China, the European Union, India, Thailand, Japan and the United States are heavily investing in bio-manufacturing ecosystems to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on petroleum-based products.
“We are entering an era where synthetic biology and bio-based chemicals will fundamentally change how the world manufactures essential goods while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.
The first day of the conference also featured six technical sessions focusing on automation, waste-to-wealth technologies, ethanol production and water sustainability.
In one of the sessions chaired by Vikas Thakur and co-chaired by Gaurav Awasthi, experts discussed strategies to transform sugar mills into integrated bio-refineries.
Mark Oliver Burkhardt from Germany’s Sucrosphere and Pfeifer & Langen IP GmbH spoke on improving industrial automation through better data integration and analysis. Sanjay Desai, managing director of ReGreen Excel EPC India Ltd, presented new technologies for ethanol and derivative production aimed at increasing profitability in sugar mills.
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CBG expert engineer Johncy Saji Mathew from Avant Garde, Chennai, demonstrated models for producing compressed biogas using press mud and distillery waste, while Satish V from UY Trienviro Pvt Ltd highlighted advanced recycling and water conservation technologies for industrial use.
Conference organisers said the sessions underlined the urgent need for Indian sugar mills to adopt cleaner and smarter technologies to remain globally competitive and environmentally sustainable.
An expo zone set up at the venue also attracted heavy footfall, with displays of modern sugarcane harvesters, eco-friendly industrial solutions and sustainable bio-plastic applications.
The conference will continue on Thursday with further discussions on policy reforms, emerging technologies and global market trends in the sugar and bio-energy sectors.
