With the participation of more than 200 representatives from 17 nations, the XVI International Congress on Sugar and Derivatives (Diversification 2022) begins this Monday in Havana, convened by the Azcuba Sugar Business Group, the Association of Sugar Technicians of Cuba and the Cuban Institute of Investigations of the Derivatives of the Sugar Cane (Icidca),.

Mariela Gallardo, general director of Icidca, in statements to Prensa Latina expressed that in the conclave, to be held until June 24, the research results of recent years in knowledge and in the introduction of achievements in sugar production will be analyzed and derivatives.

The opening day of the event, of a scientific and commercial nature, reserves three keynote speeches, the first of which will be given by the executive director of the International Sugar Organization (OIA), the Guatemalan José Orive, who will deal with new trends in the field sugar Bowl.

The remaining two will refer to Sugarcane and the pandemic, what's next?, and Bioproducts, a circular economy approach aimed at agricultural sustainability in Cuba, which will be presented by Manuel Enríquez Poy, general director of the Motzorongo Group of Mexico, and Ana Nelis San Juan, director of Biotechnology at Icidca, respectively.

Human and animal nutrition, sugarcane agriculture, sugar technology and industrial equipment, research into renewable energy sources for the sugar industry and development of derivatives (alcohols, rums, beverages and sorbitol), will be the topics that will focus the debates.

Likewise, experiences will be exchanged on the production of derivatives of cellulose fiber and lignin from sugarcane bagasse, bioproducts and organic fertilizers for agriculture, value chains and competitiveness of sugar and derivatives, climate change, and environmental management and of quality.

The Congress program also includes pre-congress courses, a scientific event on biopreparations, a business forum and a virtual trade fair, and one of its objectives is to promote foreign investment.

Among the nations participating in this event, which will take place in person and online, are Germany, Austria, Colombia, Spain, France, Guatemala, India, Tanzania, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Sweden, Brazil, China, Peru, Norway and Canada, the ones with the greatest presence after Cuba.