Kanpur, October 18, 2024: The National Sugar Institute (NSI), Kanpur, in collaboration with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), organized a one-day national seminar on the theme “Indian Sugar Quality and BIS Standards” today, October 18, 2024, at the NSI campus. The event saw significant participation from representatives of various sugar-producing states.
In her keynote address, NSI Director, Prof. (Dr.) Seema Paroha, emphasized the importance of standardizing sugar quality and encouraged the sugar industry to produce high-quality sugar.
She also presented various business models for ethanol production using cane-based raw materials such as C&B heavy molasses, sugarcane juice, sugar syrup, rice, maize, and other feedstocks.
Prof. Paroha highlighted the achievement of a record 15.8% ethanol blending during the current ethanol supply year and expressed optimism about reaching a 20% blending target by 2025-26. She further stressed the need to operate ethanol plants year-round by utilizing multiple feedstocks according to availability and economic viability.
Assistant Professor of Sugar Technology, Mr. S.K. Trivedi, discussed BIS standards for different types of Indian sugar, such as raw sugar, Demerara sugar, light golden, and dark brown sugar. He also addressed the production of cost-effective, high-quality sugar to ensure the sustainability of the sugar industry. Mr. Trivedi underlined the importance of BIS rules in maintaining industry stability and consumer trust.
During the seminar, Ms. Suniti Tuteja, Scientist-F, BIS, gave a presentation on the national standardization process in the food and agriculture sector. Ms. Disha Zanwar shared her insights on Indian standards relevant to the sugar industry, while Dr. Vasudha Keskar discussed sugar quality specifications and their significance. Prof. Dr. R.V. Dani, Technical Advisor from VSI Pune, elaborated on the potential for direct consumption of raw sugar by modifying its specifications in line with BIS standards.
This seminar marked a vital step towards improving the quality and standardization of Indian sugar, contributing to the industry’s overall growth and sustainability.
