Dear ISSCT Members,
As we are approaching the end of 2020, we would like to give you an update on the activities and projects of the Society.
The advent of COVID-19 has impacted on the ISSCT as for many similar organizations around the world. However, as the pandemic has occurred in the first year after the last Congress when the organization of events is in the preliminary phase, the impact has been limited. However, there has still been a delay in the preparation of workshops and holding of the Mid-Term Meeting of the Executive Committee and TPC. It is hoped with the availability of a vaccine(s) the pandemic will recede in 2021 allowing the sugar cane industries worldwide to contemplate a better future.
Below you will find information on our administrative and technical matters.
New ISSCT Offices
As from January 2021 the ISSCT Secretariat will move from its present location in town to the MSIRI premises in the renovated Jean Espitalier Noël Building, which is a sugar crystal shape. The building will accommodate the administrative facilities of the Secretariat and as well as other activities.
The contact details are as follows:
ISSCT Secretariat
Jean Espitalier Noël Building, MSIRI Complex, Moka Road, Postal Code 80835, Réduit, MAURITIUS
Tel: +230 465 6800 / 463 9791
Fax: +230 465 2961 / 463 9789
E-mail: issct@intnet.mu
Mid-Term Meeting and XXXI Congress
The Mid-Term Meeting scheduled for February 2021 in India had to be postponed to July 2021, COVID-19 permitting. However, various matters related to the organization of the XXXI Congress in Hyderabad in December 2022 have been discussed, especially the Pre- and Post-Congress Tours, the Congress itself, the Social Events, the Trade Exhibition and Partners’ Programme. The dates of the Congress from 5 to 8 December 2022 remain unchanged.
Accounts
The Final Accounts for the period January 2017 to September 2019 have been finalized and audited. They were found to be in order. These accounts will be considered at the Mid-Term Meeting and submitted to the Council for approval at the Congress in December 2022.
New Website
A new ISSCT website has been created with the assistance of a consultant to provide a better service and improve communication to our members and stakeholders. The website will be launched on 23 December 2020.
The new ISSCT website, Bringing sugar cane technologists together, has been redeveloped in line with modern web design principles, introducing a streamlined form that will be adaptable to varying screen sizes, from desktop to mobile. The new website has improved organisation and accessibility, helping site visitors navigating more quickly to relevant content. Full use will be made of social media. The new website offers the majority of information in English, but French and Spanish language options are available for certain key pages. The new website introduces a new database of Congress Proceedings that makes it easier to find and download documents. The existing Members’ Corner which can provide added value to ISSCT members will continue to be used in its current form to offer restricted access to resources, such as newer Congress proceedings. The Variety Notes component with information on breeding programmes in some 41 countries has been preserved and will continue to prove a valuable resource to our members.
We invite you to explore the new website here: http://issct.org/
Webinar
A Webinar entitled “The impact of COVID-19 on the sustainability of the sugarcane industry worldwide” was held on 20 July 2020 and organized by ISSCT in partnership with Bonsucro Ltd and International Sugar Organisation (ISO). It was a success as feedback received from different participants showed.
The Webinar included Welcome Addresses by the CEOs Bonsucro and ISO and the ISSCT General Secretary. The webinar programme had the following topics:
- Social and livelihood impacts among producer communities
- Latinamerica: Raúl O. Castillo, Chair, ISSCT and General Director, Centro de Investigación de la Caña de Azúcar del Ecuador
- Australasia and Asia: Peter Allsopp, Chair of Technical Advisory Board at Bonsucro and ISSCT Editor
- Africa: Jean Claude, General Secretary, ISSCT
- Public health considerations
- Central America: Claudia Asensio, Head of Sustainability and New Products, Pantaleon
- Impact on business continuity
- North America: Meredith Smith, Sustainability and Quality Director – Americas, ED&F Man Liquid Products LLC
- International trade and macro-economic impacts of COVID- 19 in the short and medium term
· Peter De Klerk, Senior Economist, International Sugar Organization
A Q&A session followed the various presentations before conclusion by the ISSCT General Secretary.
The presentations can be accessed through the link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wwhfjJ9Qm1HYpPbSbwh19MYgbrDEwOFx?usp=sharing
A recording of the webinar is available on You Tube through the following link:
Given the great interest of stakeholders (593 from some 48 countries) in the event, it is planned to organize others in 2021 on relevant themes together with the Technical Programme Committee (TPC).
Workshops 2019-2022
As is usually the case Workshops with specialized themes will be held during the present inter-congress period as follows:
| Section/Commission | Venue | Theme |
| Agricultural Engineering & Agronomy | Colombia | Site-specific agriculture |
| Germplasm & Breeding/ Molecular Biology | China | Breaking yield plateaus |
| Entomology | Thailand | Advances and challenges in IPM |
| Pathology | Argentina | Diseases in the Americas |
| Engineering & Processing | Germany | Comparing beet and cane processing |
| Co-Products | Australia | Valorisation of factory products |
| Management | India | In conjunction with the Congress |
The workshops will be held in late 2021 and early 2022. Relevant announcements concerning these Workshops will be circulated early next year.
Membership
Members are welcomed to renew their membership to be able to participate in all workshops during the inter-congress period and the ISSCT XXXI Congress in 2022. The dues may be settled through the online payment system at http://members.issct.org/appform/issct_india_2022.aspx
Members are invited to promote the ISSCT and its activities to their colleagues and in order to strengthen the Society.
In Memoriam
Dr Jaap Bruijn passed away on 29 June 2020. Dr. Bruijn was a remarkable sugar technologist who has left his imprint on the South African sugar industry and beyond. His obituary has been published on the ISSCT website:
ISSCT has conveyed its expressions of sympathy to Dr. Bruijn’s family.
