Technical Week of Sugarcane Production Sector Brings Together Representatives from Nine Countries
In order to build further capacity for sustainable practices in the sugarcane production sector in Latin America, Bonsucro, a global non-profit organization, holds the Technical Week in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The event, which began on October 15 and ended on the 19th, brought together representatives from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Argentina, and Brazil.
The Technical Week is Bonsucro’s flagship training event, aiming to enhance knowledge of the Bonsucro system, in addition to allowing networking and introducing new tools and resources in the sugar industry.
The meeting brings together industry experts, engineers, rural workers, NGOs and service providers.
Last year, Bonsucro held Technical Weeks in Brazil, Thailand, Swaziland, Mexico, India and Colombia, with 231 participants from 26 countries.
This year’s meeting is a result of the growing presence and activities developed by Bonsucro in 2017 in the Dominican Republic.
Representatives of CAEI Industrial Consortium and Alcoholes Finos Dominicanos, Central Sugar Consortium and Central Romana Corporation, all from the Dominican Republic, participated in the meeting.
The Tabacal, San Antonio, El Viejo, Taboga, La Victoria and Grupo Sáenz factories also attended it, as well as certification and technical companies, such as FOODCHAIN-ID, Control Union, CNV Internationaal, and Veracruz College of Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences.
Training is led by the team formed by Miguel Hernández, Bonsucro Regional Director Latin America, Nahuel Tuñon, Standards manager, and Ruth Ascencio Monreal, Bonsucro consultant.
FoodChain ID Business Development Manager Marina Stanham, who attended the meeting in the Dominican Republic, said that cultural exchange and the “loads of” information are very intense.
“Getting to know closely the context of each country’s sugar-ethanol industry changes our vision of certification and allows us to understand the particular needs of each client,” Stanham said.
According to her, the technical week allows getting acquainted with the standard technical data, changes and updates, which are continuously produced from certification processes performed with customers.
“My impression is that each new certification process helps debug the standard and adapt it more and more to the needs of the market/customers, of course without neglecting the goal, which is the continuous search for satisfactory levels for sustainability,” she concluded.
As part of the Technical Week, participants visited the facilities of the Engenho Cristóbal Colón mill, owned by CAEI Industrial Consortium. This company was certified to Bonsucro standard in 2016 and FoodChain ID was in charge of the Bonsucro certification process at Engenho Cristóbal Colón.
What is Bonsucro?
Bonsucro is a global non-profit organization that aims to promote sugarcane production, processing and trade in a sustainable manner worldwide.
Bonsucro supports a community of more than 500 members in over 40 countries, from all elements of the sugarcane supply chain, including farmers, millers, traders, buyers and support organizations.
Bonsucro’s vision is a sugarcane sector with thriving, sustainable producer communities and resilient, assured supply chains.
The organization’s mission is to ensure that responsible production of sugarcane creates lasting value for people, communities, businesses, economies and ecosystems in all cane-growing origins.
Bonsucro’s strategy builds a platform to accelerate the change for the world’s largest agricultural commodity: sugarcane.
About FoodChain ID
FoodChain ID, formerly known as Global ID Group, was comprised of three divisions: Genetic ID, Cert ID, and FoodChain ID Non-GMO Project verification.
In an effort to increase the depth and breadth of its offerings and enhance customer service, the company was rebranded as FoodChain ID. FoodChain ID provides integrated food safety and food quality solutions that address the challenges and opportunities in the rapidly evolving food industry.
Serving more than 30,000 customers in over 100 countries with a market-leading portfolio of testing, inspection, certification and consulting services, FoodChain ID helps companies navigate an increasingly regulated global food economy demanding higher levels of transparency, accountability, safety, and sustainability.