Dear Members,
On behalf of the Organizing Committee of the XXXI ISSCT Congress, I have pleasure in
extending an invitation to all of you to attend the Congress being held in the city of
Hyderabad in India from 20-23 February 2023. This is the third time that India will host
this prestigious event after successful Congresses in 1956 and 1999.
When India hosted the ISSCT Congress for the first time in 1956 the industry and mills
were small (because sugarcane transport infrastructure was primitive); many
technologists were not academically qualified, particularly in agriculture; equipment was
almost entirely imported. But what a transformation today! Our best Mills are world class;
technical colleges are of high quality and our technologists widely respected.
We claim the
lowest conversion cost of cane to sugar among major sugar-producing countries. We are
the leader in the export of machinery. Specific fuel consumption is half of what it was. We
export about 2500 MW of electricity over and above our own requirements, to the grid. 10% of the gasoline at our pumps is
ethanol and this figure will double in the next three years.
Our greatest achievement and also our greatest ongoing challenge are in the cane fields. Over the years, our scientists
have rendered tremendous service in developing new varieties of cane. Our cane managers have managed the logistics of
enough daily supply so that the mill is not starved while avoiding excess supply which would cause cane to deteriorate. We
have learned to introduce progressive agricultural practices in difficult circumstances.
The Congress Organizing Committee looks forward to seeing you for the ISSCT XXXI Congress at Hyderabad from 20-23
February 2023. I hope that the interactions in technical sessions, as well as informal conversations during the Pre and Post
congress Tours, will deepen your understanding of our industry and will lead to greater prosperity not only of millers but
also of millions of sugarcane farmers.
I hope that you will enjoy the Congress at Hyderabad, tours to Lucknow and Delhi which have much history to interest you,
and not to forget the distinctive classical cuisines at these cities!
Thanking you and looking forward to welcoming you at Hyderabad, India.
Yours sincerely,
Ranjit Puri
Chairman Congress Organizing Committee
Former President of Indian Sugar Mills Association
Former President of The Sugar Technologists' Association of India
Honorary Fellow, The Sugar Technologists' Association of India
Raúl Castillo
Mr. Sanjay Awasthi
Dr. Jean Claude Autrey
Raúl Castillo
Chair, ISSCT Council and Executive Committee
Sanjay Awasthi
Congress Executive President and President STAI
Jean Claude Autrey
General Secretary, ISSCT
