Meet on sugar technology

PUNE, Sept 14: Researchers and technologists in the sugar industry have a task ahead to narrow the gap of the sugar production and the actual requirements in the country in the years to come, director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research ICAR Dr R S Patroda observed here yesterday.

He was speaking at the inaugural function of the three day biennial national workshop organised jointly by ICAR and the Vasantdada Sugar Institute. Chairman of the national federation of Co-operative Sugar Factories Limited, Shivajirao Patil presided over the function. Over 200 researchers nationwide are at the workshop.

Stating that in the last five years, the area under sugarcane has shown a trend of stagnation due to competition with crops like wheat, rice, sunflower and soyabean, Dr Patroda felt that if the trend continued, sugarcane production would meet serious consequence in future. He said if varieties with high sucrose content were not developed and cultivated, stagnation in sugar recovery will also continue.