The 4th edition of ChiniMandi’s flagship event- The Sugar, Ethanol & BioEnergy India Conference (2025) concluded in New Delhi on 31st January. The two-day event in the national capital set the tone for the sugar and ethanol industry in the new year and laid a clear vision for the industry as the 2024-25 season reached its mid-operation. Along with intense brainstorming sessions which saw who’s who of the sugar, bioenergy, allied and other stakeholders take part, there was glamour and entertainment in equal measures at the 2nd edition of SEIA and felicitation of Sponsors, which enthralled the audience.
The Conference saw an attendance of 600+ from a wide array of fields- Union Ministers, Senior Government officials, representatives from sugar, ethanol and allied industries, OMCs, grain-based distilleries, Associations, Research Institutes, international and domestic traders, agriculturists, scientists, suppliers etc.
The Hon’ble Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari graced the opening ceremony. Arriving in a flex-fuel car, he sent a strong message about the future of ethanol-blended flex-fuel vehicles as a sustainable solution for India’s transportation sector.
The Hon’ble Minister addressed the gathering with his spirited speech. This was followed by a speech by Ashwini Srivastava, Joint Secretary (Sugar), DFPD, Government of India.
Mr. Atul Chaturvedi, Executive Director at Shree Renuka Sugars and Mr. Deepak Ballani, DG-ISMA shared their views on the domestic sugar and ethanol industry.
The first session of the Conference started post lunch on Day-1, which saw meaningful discussions on policy advocacy for the sugar and bioenergy industry to take it ahead.
There were a total of 8 panel discussions that took place during the two-day conference. A total of 8 Moderators and 35 Speakers took the centre-stage to engage the audience with their views, insights and perspectives on the global and domestic sugar and ethanol industry.
Panel discussions: Key theme
Policy Advocacy to Accelerate Growth
This segment analysed how Government policies are crucial for the growth and sustainability of the sugar industry. The session tried to understand the minds of the policymakers on pending policy decisions on the increase of Minimum Selling Price (MSP) etc.
The Sugar Arithmetic- Keynote address: PPT on Global Sugar S&D
An expert with his pulse on the global sugar market, Claudiu Covrig, Senior Market Analyst, presented a 360 degree perspective of the supply and demand scenario and the way ahead.
Sugar Rush: Global Sugar S&D
The panel discussed the factors that are influencing sugar prices (e.g., weather, geopolitical events, global demand). The impact of weather patterns, climate change and geo-political on sugar production. The influence of currency fluctuations on sugar exports and imports.
Mr. Atul Mulay, President, Praj Industries and Mr. Virendra Jhamb, Founder and MD of CEES India Private Limited presented their views on Bioenergy dynamics in the country.
Ethanol & BioFuel: From Farm to Fuel Tank
The panel discussed how the ethanol blending programme transformed India’s energy landscape and the role of Government policies for encouraging private investments in the sector. The panel will discussed the emergence of other important BioEnergies like- BioCNG, Hydrogen etc.
Climate Change Impact & Sustainability
The panel will put the lens on climate change impact on sugarcane yields and quality and discuss innovations that will enhance climate adaptability of cane farming.
Snake & Ladders – The Game of Indian Sugar
The panel discussed India’s position as the largest sugar producer in the country. The challenges like overproduction and low profitability are posing problems for the industry and measures taken by the Government, industry and farmers to improve sugarcane productivity.
The AI Revolution in Chini & BioEnergy Industry
Artificial Intelligence is playing a transformative role in various sectors and industries. It is crucial that the sugar industry leverage the AI and IoT to improve cane cultivation, BioFuel production costs & supply chain management etc.
PPT on La Nina Prediction and Impact on Agriculture
A weather expert, AVM G P Sharma of Skymet spoke about La Nina and its impact on agriculture crops especially on sugarcane.
The Bull & Bear Show of Domestic Sugar
This was the most awaited segment of the whole Conference, wherein traders, industry insiders and experts gave an insight into the domestic sugar balance-sheet, demand and supply scenario, pricing trends and crop estimate of the 2025-26 sugar season.
PPT on Shifting sugar consumer behaviour
An expert, Sreeraman Thiagarajan presented a captivating PPT on the changing sugar consumption patterns in the country.
Sweet But Fierce- Indian Sugar a Roaring Tigress in Global Market
India has had a good run with sugar exports for quite some years, before getting disrupted last year due to a deficit in sugar production. In this segment, the speakers analysed India’s sugar export prowess in the international market, challenges and international laws that are hurting exports.
Some of the stand-out quotes from the two-day conference are given below-
Nitin Gadkari, “One thing is very clear…the future of this industry is very, very good. Moving forward, India also plans to explore ethanol exports and create value-added products, further boosting the sector’s growth and economic potential.”
Atul Chaturvedi, Executive Director, Shree Renuka Sugars, “I have attended several Sugar and BioEnergy conferences. But I have never seen such a large participation. This showcases the power of ChiniMandi. If political parties can accept to work on a Common Minimum Programme, then why can’t the sugar industry have a Common Minimum Programme. It will help the sugar industry”
Ashwini Srivastava, “The Government is committed to maintaining a stable and fair sugar industry. The retail price of sugar has been stable for almost a year. The Government is monitoring the sugar production numbers. Next year, we will have a bumper production”.
Pankaj Rastogi, “ We will be adding a big sugar stock next year. We should have timely sugar exports and sugar MSP should increase”.
Prakash Naiknavre, “I personally feel that we have created a market for Indian sugar in the world market. Unfortunately, last year, we were absent in world market and the advantages were taken by our friends from Brazil, Australia, and Thailand. Even this 1 MT sugar export is definitely going to show our presence in the international market”.
Arushi Jain, “The grain-based industry has tremendously grown, all thanks to the initiative taken by the Government and the entrepreneurs”.
Manohar Joshi, “The export of 1 MT is strategically planned in advance. This indicates that more export windows will open for the next year. The Government should announce exports earlier so that millers can plan better”.
Kapil Nema, “Keeping in mind 37 MT as a gross sugar production number and 29 MT as sugar consumption in next season, there will be a surplus of around 8 MT, which will get distributed between ethanol production and exports. However, sugar diversion for ethanol production will depend on the ethanol procurement price the Government has to offer”.
Our Sponsors
The Presenting Sponsor is the prestigious MRN (Nirani) Group and the Title Sponsor is the KBK Group (Renuka Sugar Group Company). Some top corporates across key sectors associated with ChiniMandi in the endeavour.
Our Associate Partners
There were in total 21 Associate Partners from the vast spectrum of Association bodies catering to the sugar industry, molasses-based and grain-based distillers extended their support to the Conference.
List of Speakers & Moderators
A total of 43 Moderators and Speakers participated in the two-day Conference.
