Hanoi (VNA) - Domestic and international experts in the sugarcane industry gathered at thefifth TTC annual international sugarcane conference recently held in Phan Thietcity of Binh Thuan province to discuss ways to help the Vietnamese sugarcaneindustry develop sustainably.

The conference, themed “The restructuring of Vietnam’s sugarcaneindustry”, was co-organised by the Vietnam Sugarcaneand Sugar Association (VSSA) and TTC Group.

The country’s sugar output hit nearly 1.2 trillion tonnes in the 2016-17 crop,VSSA reported. This is the third continuous decline in sugar output.

Slow market consumption, high inventory, complicated sugar smuggling issues andASEAN’s imposition of a sugar import tax rate of zero percent after 2018 havecreated an urgent need for Vietnamese businesses to adapt, and have forced arethink of the whole country’s sugar industry.

As the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development implements a policy ofrestructuring the agricultural sector towards enhancing added value anddeveloping sustainably, sugar companies are constantly innovating to promoteinternal strength, improving their competitive position domestically and internationally.

However, as many difficulties and problems still exist, the Vietnamese sugarindustry needs radical solutions to be able to grow.

This year’s conference attracted more than 400 guests, including leadingdomestic experts, policymakers, research institutes, businesses andrepresentative farmers in the field of sugarcane and speakers from the world’sbiggest sugar producers such as Brazil, India, China, Thailand, Australia, theUS and the Philippines.

Domestic speakers provided an overview of policies for the Vietnamese sugarcaneindustry, its current status and orientations for new sugarcane cultivation in Vietnamby 2020 with a vision to 2030.

Meanwhile, international speakers gave presentations and shared experience in productdiversification to enhance the value chain of sugar; steam saving in sugarmills and applications of optical sensor technology in a sugar productionsystem in Louisiana.

Apart from the goal of forging international links in order to promote thegrowth of the Vietnamese sugar industry as in previous seminars, this year’sinternational conference was an opportunity for enterprises to exchange andshare experience, while seeking cooperation and investment opportunities.

It was also a chance for businesses to propose effective production plans, aswell as support sugarcane farmers in approaching advanced information andtechnology from around the world.

Within the framework of the August 17-18 conference, the TTC Group signed amemorandum of understanding with two prestigious international organisations inthe sugar industry, Mitr Phol Group (Thailand) and Vasantdada Sugar Institute(India).

Under the agreement, TTC and Mitr Phol Groupwill jointly support research and development (R&D) activities of bothparties, including the exchange of R&D courses for students and staff;exchange of R&D staff, research for annual cooperation programmes on sugarproducts; and organisation of long- and short-term training courses dependingon needs and the number of applications approved by the two parties. 

Mitr Phol has committed to working with TTC tohold annual conferences and other training activities as well as shareexperiences and introduce TTC to other prestigious units in Thailand.

In another agreement, the Vasantdada SugarInstitute will provide consultancy in R&D and technical methods for TTCsugar labs, and will train staff in Vietnam and India.

TTC will sponsor related costs including travelexpenses for scientists, and provide staff and related documentation forprojects.

With more than 70 years of developmenthistory, Mitr Phol is Asia’s biggest sugar producer and fourth in theworld, owning many factories in Thailand.

The Vasantdada Sugar Institute with 42 years ofexperience in science and technology research in the sugar industry in Indiahas played an important role and greatly contributed to the development ofIndia’s sugar industry.-VNA