Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel will be the keynote speaker in the opening ceremony of Philippine Sugar Technologists Association’s (PHILSUTECH) 72nd Annual National Convention at the Waterfront Hotel, Lahug, Cebu City, on August 19.
.With the theme “Bridging Challenges into Opportunities: Driving Innovation and Strategic Transformation”, the convention runs from August 17 to 21.
About 1,000 sugarcane industry stakeholders, including delegates from other sugar-producing countries, and about 100 product exhibitors of agricultural and industrial equipment and technologies, usually participate in the event, a press release from PHILSUTECH said Monday, August 10.
Top national government executives, policy makers and experts in various fields have been invited to provide updates and share ideas on issues affecting the sugar industry.
Other speakers include former Sugar Regulatory Administrator and former Negros Occ. governor Rafael “Lito” Coscolluela, University of Asia and the Pacific Professor Emeritus Dr. Bernardo Villegas with co-speaker former UA&P President Dr. Dr. Winston Conrad Padojinog, and Sugar Regulatory Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona.
Coscolluela will deliver a talk titled “Quo Vadis, Philippine Sugar?” on the prospects for the Philippine sugar industry, while Villegas, one of the most prominent economists in the country, and Padojinog will conduct an “Economic Briefing on Philippine Agriculture. Azcona will discuss “Insights into the Red-Striped Soft Scale Insect (RSSI) and Integrated Control Strategies for Sustainable Population Suppression”.
An integral part of the convention is the traditional golf tournament, but this year’s edition will instead feature a friendly pickleball tournament among registered delegates.
Games begin at 8 a.m. August 18 at the Magnum Sports Complex (near IT Park), Cebu City. In the afternoon, the product exhibits open at 5 p.m. to be followed by the Fellowship Night.
On August 19, the convention will formally open with . Laurel as keynote speaker. Coscolluella and Villegas will address the plenary session with their respective topics in the afternoon.
The morning of August 20 (Thursday) will feature technical presentations aimed at enhancing industry knowledge in the fields of Agriculture and Farm Engineering, Sugar Process, Management, Bioenergy and Environmental Management and Factory Engineering.
Azcona will deliver his talk in the afternoon, followed by the launch of PULSE (Philsutech Unified Learning & Skills Environment). PULSE is Philsutech’s dedicated training and continuing professional development framework, which serves as a central vehicle in providing education, skills training and technical information exchange form stakeholders in the sugarcane and sugar production industries.
On the final day of the convention (August 21), Philsutech will hold its General Membership Assembly, deliver the Association’s reports, induct the new set of Philsutech officers. The formal closing ceremony will follow after the business meeting.
The Philsutech Secretariat is still accepting reservations for product exhibitors and pre-registration of delegates. For more information, interested parties may contact the Philsutech Secretariat at telephone numbers 4341591 and 4348217, or email philsutech@gmail.com, the press release said.*
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