National Sugar Federation to Honour Top Performing Cooperative Mills in Delhi on July 3

The National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF) is set to confer its prestigious Efficiency Awards to member sugar factories on July 3 in New Delhi. These annual awards recognize outstanding performance across various aspects of sugar production, including technical upgrades, financial management, maximum cane crushing, and best sugar extraction.

The NFCSF, as the apex body representing 260 cooperative sugar factories and nine state sugar federations across India, initiates this exercise to foster healthy competition and encourage innovation within the sector.

The glittering function will be graced by Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, as the Chief Guest. Nimuben Bambhaniya, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Suresh Prabhu, former Union Minister and Chancellor of Rishihood University, will serve as Guests of Honour.

Distinguished guests expected to attend include Arvind Kumar Sharma, Haryana's Cooperation Minister; Shivanand Patil, Karnataka's Sugarcane Minister; Babasaheb Patil, Maharashtra's Cooperation Minister; and Laxmi Narayan Choudhary, Uttar Pradesh's Sugarcane Development Minister. The event will be held at Dr. Ambedkar International Center in New Delhi. 

Technical Seminar and Innovation Exhibition 

Alongside the award ceremony, a "Technical Seminar" and a grand exhibition showcasing innovations in the sugar industry have been organized. The Technical Seminar is scheduled for July 2, with the exhibition running for two days, July 2nd and 3rd.

Dr. Prasanta Kumar Das, Assistant Director General (Crop Science) at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, will chair the seminar and discussion session on "Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Sugarcane Farming." Prataprao Pawar, Trustee of Agriculture Development Trust, Baramati, has been invited to deliver the keynote address on this pertinent subject. The subsequent panel discussion will feature Anindya Banerjee, Advisor, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; Dr. P. Govindaraj, Director, ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore; and Dr. R.B. Doule, Chief Cane Advisor, National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories.

Maharashtra Leads in Awards

For the 2023-24 awards cycle, factories were selected after a rigorous evaluation by experts. A total of 25 awards were finalized, as announced earlier by NFCSF President Harshvardhan Patil and Managing Director Prakash Naiknavare.

Among the winners, Maharashtra leads with 10 awards, followed by Tamil Nadu (5), Uttar Pradesh (4), and Gujarat (3). Punjab, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh have secured one award each. This year, 103 cooperative sugar factories from across India participated in the competition.