A hi-tech sugar syrup plant has been designed to arrest the invisible losses in Pakistan's antiquated sugar industry. Javed Malik, Convenor, Sugarcane Grower's Association (SGA) told Business Recorder that the plant would cost Rs 160 million having 70% local and 30% imported components and would be ready on about a year's time.
Besides local, several foreign entrepreneurs from Latin America and Africa have shown interest in setting up this plant. He said that in the backdrop of sugarcane and white sugar crises in Pakistan, a lot of research and development and practical experience have gone in the designing of this project.
The sole is increasing white sugar production and reducing poverty in the rural areas particularly and urban areas generally. It would provide jobs to the rural folks and urban skilled labour (iron foundry workers) to ease unemployment in the country.
Javed Malik said that that the research results show that invisible losses to Pakistan's sugar industry come to about 30-35% according to industrial and grower's estimates. As per sugar chemistry harvested cane should be crushed within 12 to 24 hours while in mega sugar mills it is crushed after 3/4 days provided the system is efficient otherwise it takes about 5/6 days.
As the hi-tech syrup plant would be small and efficient unit, it has been designed to have a capability to crush grower's sugarcane within 12 hours, thereby arresting the invisible losses to the tune of 30 to 35%. Similar to textile industry, which comprises ginning unit, spinning unit, weaving unit, and stitching unit.
In the United States there are several sugar syrup plants which supply sugar syrup to big sugar mills. The sugar syrup plant designed here, being small and efficient, the focus would be on development of different varieties of sugarcane in gate areas, ie early maturing variety, middle maturing, and late maturing variety, he said.
This, he said, would result in increased quality sugarcane and white sugar production manifold and fresh cut, neat and clean sugarcane would help improve the sugar recovery to new heights.
These small sugar syrup units of 500 TCD capacity would be satellite units of nearby bigger sugar mills ensuring continuous supply of quality sugar syrup to help bigger sugar mills to run its full capacity and producing white sugar very competitively.
The small units would be equipped with the 21st century high-pressure steam technology to produce about more than one mega watt of electricity on 24-hour basis from bogass. This should bring down the cost of running small industry in Pakistan coupled with increased quantity of sugar syrup quality. Further it would bring prosperity to rural and urban Pakistan at grass root level.
It is a win-win position for all the stakeholders in the sugar industry, Javed Malik said and urged the government to provide 50percent grant and bank financing for this project of growers as India provides 100% grant and gives priority to grower's projects.