PM to open global sugarcane meet in Pune on Sunday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive here on Sunday afternoon for a brief visit to inaugurate a four-day international conference and exhibition on sugarcane value chain, an official said here on Friday.

"Modi will throw open a global conference and exhibition on 'Sugarcane Value Chain - Vision 2025 Sugar', organised by the Vasantdada Sugar Insitute (VSI), in Manjari-Budruk, Pune," he said.

Modi will be accompanied by Governor C.V. Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union ministers Radha Mohan Singh and Prakash Javadekar, and state ministers Chandrakant Patil, Girish Bapat, Pandurang Fundkar and Subhash Deshmukh.

The Prime Minister will depart from the state after the event the same evening.

Established in 1975, the renowned VSI is an autonomous body set up by sugar cooperatives with a mission to effect improvement in the socio-economic status of sugarcane farmers.

This is done by providing them cutting-edge technologies through scientific research related to sugarcane and its products.

The four-day international conference and expo during November 13-16 will attract around 1,500 delegates from across the world, who will speak on different aspects of the sugarcane value chain.

The exhibition will showcase various technological developments in sugar industry, live demonstrations of sugarcane crops showing advanced technologies and cultivation practices implemented.

The event is being held to commemorate the birth centenary celebrations of the late Vasantdada Patil, who was three-time Chief Minister of Maharashtra and also served as Rajasthan Governor.

Credited with immense contributions in the fields of education and the cooperative movement, Patil died at the age of 72 in March 1989.

--IANS

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