The National Sugar Institute (NSI), Kanpur, has commenced a 20-day short-term customised training programme for officials and technical experts of the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC). The programme is being conducted from September 28 to October 27, 2026, with a focus on strengthening technical knowledge and promoting the exchange of best practices between India and Fiji’s sugar industries.
The inaugural programme was attended by Sunil Mehta, Ambassador of India to the Republic of Fiji, Bhan Pratap Singh, Chief Executive Officer of Fiji Sugar Corporation, senior FSC officials and technical experts, NSI faculty members, programme coordinators and participating delegates from Fiji.
Welcoming the participants, Prof. Seema Paroha, Director, National Sugar Institute, Kanpur, said geographical distance between India and Fiji has little significance in the present era when it comes to knowledge, technology and professional cooperation. She said the programme would provide experts from both countries an opportunity to share technical knowledge, industrial experience and best practices.
The customised programme covers several key challenges facing the modern sugar industry, including energy efficiency, improving sugar recovery, process optimisation, quality control, sustainable production, automation, value addition of co-products and ethanol production.
During the four-week programme, participants will receive training across the sugar production value chain, combining theoretical sessions with practical and industrial exposure. NSI faculty members and technical experts will conduct sessions on sugar manufacturing processes, process control, quality management, energy conservation, utilisation of co-products and emerging technologies in the sugar sector.
The participants were encouraged to make the programme interactive and participatory rather than limiting it to lectures. They were invited to share their industrial experiences, discuss technical challenges and engage with experts to maximise the practical benefits of the training.
NSI has been contributing to the development of the sugar industry in India and abroad for several decades through education, training, research, technical consultancy and technical services. The collaboration with Fiji Sugar Corporation is expected to strengthen knowledge exchange, sharing of technical practices and long-term professional cooperation between the two institutions.
Prof. Paroha thanked the senior management of Fiji Sugar Corporation for placing its confidence in NSI for training its personnel and expressed confidence that the programme would enhance the technical capabilities of the participating officials.
The programme also builds on an earlier technical engagement between the two sides. Prof. Sanjay Chauhan, Acharya, Sugar Engineering; Virendra Kumar, Senior Instrument Engineer; and Brajesh Singh, Technical Officer, from NSI had travelled to Fiji last month to provide a 10-day training programme for Fiji Sugar Corporation.
NSI said the ongoing training is expected to help the participating officials apply the knowledge and experience gained during the programme to their professional work and contribute to improvements in efficiency, quality, productivity and sustainable development in Fiji’s sugar industry.
The initiative further strengthens technical knowledge sharing and professional cooperation between the sugar industries of India and Fiji
