Business France, the Trade and Investment Agency of the French Embassy in India, in collaboration with CODETEC, the French consortium of equipment, technology and service companies in the sugarcane sector, has set up a French pavilion for the ISSCT Congress (International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists) being held from 20th to 23rd February 2023 in Hyderabad.
A delegation of 11 French companies, ranging from the sugarcane cultivation to the sugar and ethanol processing sectors, will be showcasing their expertise for the first time in India. They will be located from stalls 54 to 59, and 78 to 83 at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre.
The International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists (ISSCT) Congress is the organization’s signature event. The ISSCT is a grouping of scientists, technologists, managers, organisations, and businesses/corporations interested in the technical development of the cane sugar industry and its by-products. The ISSCT has been in operation for 95 years and has hosted 30 Congresses, typically three years apart.
Around 1000–1200 eminent worldwide technocrats and professionals from more than 50 nations that produce sugar attend the conference, which is the largest international gathering for the sugar and related industries. It is an international event showcasing more than 200 research and technical publications and plenary sessions on: How to Grow Sugarcane Differently, Co-products Diversification, and Sugar & Health.
H.E Mr. Emmanuel Lenain, Ambassador of France to India, shared his views: “We invite you to explore the latest technologies and wide-ranging expertise offered by French companies. France and India have a strong potential for collaboration in the sugar sector with French expertise in sugar and ethanol production to support India’s ambitions.”
The French sugar story
France is the leading producer of white sugar in the European Union and accounts for 30% of the production on the continent. It is also the world’s second largest producer of beet sugar.
It is not only a major sugar producer in Europe but also across the world. In 2021- 2022, France produced 5 million tonnes of sugar in the 21 sugar factories located in mainland France, and the 5 sugar refineries in its overseas territories. Reunion Island, which is in the Southern Indian
Ocean region and accounts for 80% of this brown sugar production, also has strong historical and geographical links with India.
With an average of 82 tonnes of beet harvested per hectare, which corresponds to a sugar yield of about 13 t/ha, yields are among the highest in the European Union. As far as ethanol production is concerned, the country also has 5 companies with 12 distilleries producing 14.7
MH of agricultural alcohol from beet and cereals (bioethanol + traditional alcohol). France has exceptional assets for beet growing, including natural factors, space availability, farm size, and industry experience.
Ever-growing production and demand of the Indian sugar industry
The Indian sugar industry occupies a prime position in Indian agriculture and its rural landscape. Being the largest sugar-producing country with 35.8 million metric tons in 2021-22 and the 2nd largest exporter of sugar valued at 11.0 million metric tons in 2021-22, India entered the league of 3 nations that have successfully blended 10% fuel ethanol with petrol,
after Brazil and the US last year.
In addition, NITI Aayog boosted the ethanol production sector by laying out a roadmap to achieve the target of 20% blending of ethanol in petrol by 2025.
Visit the exhibiting French companies:
• BARRIQUAND TECHNOLOGIES THERMIQUES designing, manufacturing, and supplying thermal solutions adapted to industrial and climatic engineering applications all over the world.
• BROQUET PUMPS is an independent company designing pumps for viscous liquids (specifically for sugar and chocolate)
• CHOQUENET supplies a range of equipment from filter presses to candle thickeners (sugar mills, mines, etc.). Today they are used in the beet and sugarcane transformation processes as well as in the process of refining brown sugar into white sugar.
• CIRAD has a long track record of recognized technical expertise in renewing production approaches to include the concepts of agroecology in tropical agriculture.
• CMD has been manufacturing mechanical power transmission equipment since 1903, focusing on high-torque and low-speed applications (mills, diffusers, stirrers and crystallizers).
• eRcane is a private sugar industry research institute from Reunion Island. eRcane’s main task is to help sugarcane production in Reunion Island maintain its growth and sustainability through technological innovations and training programs. Its second mission involves exporting Reunionese expertise on sugarcane.
• INTERIS is recognized as one of the global leaders in ethanol production, with references in many parts of the world.
• ITECA SOCADEI is the leading company for conceiving on-line analysers and process control instruments.
• MENART develops and manufactures innovative machines, equipment, and installations for recycling and composting industries.
• NOVASEP PROCESS SOLUTIONS is a leading provider of purification equipment, solutions, and services (ion exchange, chromatography).
• REI has been designing measuring instruments for the sugar industry since 1987: polarimeters, saccharimeters, sweet juice analysers.
