Industry should develop product portfolios to harness potential of sugarcane value chain: Official

The sugar industry should look for developing product portfolios to generate more revenue streams and harness the potential of the entire sugarcane value chain, according to a senior government official.

Addressing the 80th annual convocation of the Sugar Technologists' Association of India held in Goa, Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti said India is self-sufficient in sugar and exporting it to other countries.

''However, we have to work from farm to factory to improve productivity and to ensure that the benefits are transmitted to every stakeholder,'' an official statement quoted the minister as saying.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant lauded the role of scientists in transforming the sugar industry to a great extent and making it viable.

Technology is going to be the solution for many of the problems and the sugar industry should have a forward-looking approach, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said, ''The Indian sugar industry should look for developing product portfolio for harnessing the potential of the entire sugarcane value chain.'' From by-products of the sugar industry, many other value-added products can be made and the industry is required to work on new technologies for developing them in future so as to generate more revenue streams and reduce dependency on revenues from sugar, he said.

''We have to develop a “self-sustainable” model to ensure meeting the captive sugar requirement of sugar and coping up with the ethanol requirements for 20 per cent blending,'' he added.

National Sugar Institute Director Narendra Mohan, Sugar Technologists' Association of India President Sanjay Awasthi and other industry players were present at the event.