The National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories (NFCSF) is set to confer its prestigious Efficiency Awards for the year 2023-24 at a grand function in New Delhi on July 3.
The awards, a hallmark event of the NFCSF, recognize outstanding performances of member cooperative sugar factories across multiple operational areas, including technical advancement, financial management, highest cane crushing, and best sugar recovery. This annual initiative is aimed at fostering a spirit of healthy competition among the cooperative sugar factories in India and encouraging innovation and quality improvement in the sector.
The NFCSF serves as the apex organization representing 260 cooperative sugar factories and nine state sugar federations across the country. The Efficiency Awards reflect the organization’s commitment to enhancing productivity and excellence in the sugar industry.
The awardees for this year were chosen after a rigorous evaluation process conducted by subject experts. In total, 103 cooperative sugar factories participated in the competition, and 25 winners were selected based on their exemplary performance.
Maharashtra has emerged as the top-performing state, securing 10 of the 25 awards. Tamil Nadu follows with five awards, Uttar Pradesh with four, Gujarat with three, while Punjab, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh have earned one award each. The results were announced earlier by NFCSF President Harshvardhan Patil and Managing Director Prakash Naiknavare.
The awards ceremony, to be held at Dr Ambedkar International Center in New Delhi, will be graced by several prominent dignitaries. Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi, will attend as Chief Guest.
Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Smt Nimuben Bambhaniya, and former Union Minister and Rishihood University Chancellor Suresh Prabhu, will be present as Guests of Honour.
Also expected to attend as Distinguished Guests are Haryana’s Cooperation Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma, Karnataka’s Sugarcane Minister Shivanand Patil, Maharashtra’s Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil, and Uttar Pradesh’s Sugarcane Development Minister Laxmi Narayan Choudhary.
Complementing the awards function, a two-day technical seminar and exhibition will be held at the same venue. The seminar, scheduled for July 2, will focus on the integration of artificial intelligence in sugarcane farming.
Dr. Prasanta Kumar Das, Assistant Director General (Crop Science), ICAR, will chair the session, with a keynote address by Prataprao Pawar of the Agricultural Development Trust, Baramati. A panel discussion will follow, featuring Dr. P. Govindaraj, Director of ICAR–Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore; Dr. R.B. Doule, Chief Cane Advisor at NFCSF; and Anindya Banerjee, Advisor in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
The exhibition, open on both July 2 and 3, will showcase innovations and technological advancements in the sugar industry, reinforcing NFCSF’s role as a catalyst for transformation and excellence in India’s cooperative sugar sector.
