About SEIC 2026
The 5th edition of ChiniMandi’s flagship event- The Sugar, Ethanol & BioEnergy India Conference (2026) concluded in Mumbai on 13th June. The two-day event in the national capital set the tone for the sugar and ethanol industry in the new year and laid a clear vision for the industry as the 2025-26 season reached its mid-operation.
The Hon’ble Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari graced the opening ceremony. The Conference saw an attendance of 600+ from a wide array of fields- Union Ministers, Senior Government officials, representatives from sugar, ethanol and allied industries, OMCs, grain-based distilleries, Associations, Research Institutes, international and domestic traders, agriculturists, scientists, suppliers etc.
When
12-13 June 2026
Where
The Westin Powai Lake, Mumbai
About
Sugar, Ethanol & Bioenergy
SEIC 2026
agenda
REGISTRATIONS
Networking Lunch & Check-In
Inauguration
Raosaheb Danve Patil
Former Minister of State for Railways, Coal and Mines, Government of India
Ashwini Srivastava
Joint Secretary, DFPD, Govt. of India
José Mauro da Fonseca Costa Couto
Brazil Consul General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil
Pramod Chaudhari
Chairman, Praj Group
Baburao Botrepatil
Chairman & MD, Onkar Group
Vijendra Singh
Executive Director, Dy. CEO, Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd. & President AIDA
Atul Chaturvedi
Executive Chairman, Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd.
Vishal Nirani
Co-Founder & ED, TruAlt Bioenergy
Suresh Agarwal
Managing Director, Rika Global Impex Limited
Harshvardhan Patil
President, National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd.
Ranjeetsingh Naik Nimbalkar
Promoter, Swaraj Green Power And Fuel Limited
Jitu Shah
Founder Chairman JK Group
Uppal Shah
Co-founder & Managing Director, JK India eAgriTech Ltd.
KeyNote Address by Ravi Gupta
Opening Remarks by Deepak Ballani
+
Topic of discussion
- "Decarbonising mobility: The role of ethanol in India’s climate commitments”
SESSION I - Headwinds or Tailwinds: A sharp peak in 2026-27
Sugar Season A look at what lies ahead
Manisha Gupta
Group Commodities Editor, CNBC-TV18
Atul Chaturvedi
Executive Chairman, Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd.
Kona Haque
Head of Research at ED&F Man
Prakash Naiknavre
M.D., National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd, India
José Mauro da Fonseca Costa Couto
Brazil Consul General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil
+
Moderator: Manisha Gupta
Panelists
Atul Chaturvedi, Kona Haque, Prakash Naiknavre, José Mauro da Fonseca Costa Couto
Topic of discussion
- Outlook on production, pricing and S&D
- Policy intervention: Ethanol pricing, MSP revision
- Financing cane arrears of the season
- Will India be structural exporter
- Ethanol allocation dynamics: how will this hurt sugar mills
Felicitation of Panelists
Presentation By CleanEarth
Moderator: Nikhil Moghe
Panelists
Yashodhan Mankame, Vijendra Singh, Sachin Malusare
Topic of discussion
- E22, E27, E30? What next
- Regulatory necessities
- Stable and long-term policies
- Investments and production augmentation
- Consumer sentiment
- Feedstock production, sugarcane acreage increase
Presentation By Fuelbrains
+
Topic of discussion
- SAF: An Overview
Felicitation of Panelists
Presentation By Alfa Laval
SESSION III - Keeping the rabbit out- Carpe Diem for sugar
export
+
Moderator: Kiran Wadhwana
Panelists
Rahil Shaikh, Rajesh Jain, Anshul Sharma
Topic of discussion
- Government- priority on maintaining internal stocks
- Policy flexibility depending on sugar production estimate
- Sugar cyclicality is an issue
- International price parity
- Allowing OGL
Felicitation of Panelists
Presentation By NetXeroC
+
Topic of discussion
- “Liquid Gold: Reimagining wastewater as a strategic resource”
Presentation By Noor Enzymes
SESSION IV - SAF Turbulence: Fasten your seatbelts
+
Moderator: Ravi Gupta
Panelists
Jodhbir Sachdeva, Thangapandin Srinivasalu, Saroj Sahoo
Topic of discussion
- Big target 2027: Status check
- CORSIA mandate
- Govt amendment in Turbine Fuel to blend SAF?
- Challenges in achieving 1% target
- Policy push
- Investments and way forward
Presentation By Findability Sciences
+
Topic of discussion
- From Cane to Carbon: Can AI Turn India’s Sugar Mills into Bioenergy Intelligence Hubs?
Felicitation of Panelists
High Tea & Networking
SEIA Awards, followed by Dinner & Cocktails
Inauguration
Shri Nitin Gadkari
Union Minister, Minister of Road Transport & Highways
Government of India
Ashwini Srivastava
Joint Secretary, DFPD, Govt. of India
Sangeet Singla
Integrated Financial Advisor, DRDO, Govt. of India
Prakash Naiknavare
M.D., National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd, India
Baburao Botre Patil
Chairman & MD, Onkar Group
Jitu Shah
Founder Chairman JK Group
Hemant Shah
Co-founder & Executive Director, JK India eAgriTech Ltd.
Welcome Speech by Mr. Hemant Shah
Speech by Shri Nitin Gadkari ji
Presentation By Business Core Solutions
SESSION V - The Feedstock Fix
+
Moderator: Parshwati Saha
Panelists
S.L.Sharma, Dr. Shankar Lal Jat, Sabyasachi Majumdar, Dr. Mandar Kulkarni
Topic of discussion
- Uniformity in ethanol pricing irrespective of feedstock
- Maize in limelight: Grain gets weightage over molasses
- Food vs Fuel
- Panacea for underutilised capacity
- Can AI help determine the most efficient feedstock mix for ethanol production?
Felicitation of Panelists
Presentation By G-Centri Force
Topic of discussion
- Interview by Nikhil Moghe, Partner, KPMG
Presentation By Privi Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd.
SESSION VI - BioProducts Pivot
Vishwa Mohan
Associate Editor, Business24 TV
Francis Borges
Head - Sustainable Value Chain Projects, Advanta Seeds
Stefan Barot
President Chemical Division, Balrampur Chini Mills
Rajesh Mohan
Business Area Manager, Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits
Francesco Montecchio
Global Sales Manager, Alfa Laval
+
Moderator: Vishwa Mohan
Panelists
Francis Borges, Stefan Barot, Rajesh Mohan, Francesco Montecchio
Topic of discussion
- Looking beyond ethanol
- PLA: New chip in the block
- Domestic and export market size for PLA, IBA, DDGS, CBG
- ENA for emerging areas of bio products & fuels
- Can auxillary revenue become main stream?
Felicitation of Panelists
Presentation By KPMG
SESSION VII - EV vs. FFV: The mojo factor
+
Moderator: Sreeraman Thiagarajan
Panelists
Vikram Gulati, Prashant Banerjee, Harish Mehta
Topic of discussion
- Are EV a silver bullet for clear air or do they create smoke stacks elsewhere?
- Who wins in EV, FFV?
- Providing a level playing field
Felicitation of Panelists
Lunch
Threat of Super El Nino: Impact on sugarcane in 2026-27
SESSION VIII - The Bioeconomy Blueprint
+
Moderator: Dr. SSV Ramakumar
Panelists
Dr. Sanjukta Subudhi, Surendra Singh, Snehalkumar Suryawanshi
Topic of discussion
- Sugar industry waste valorisation
- Press Mud to Bio-CNG / CBG pathways
- Zero Liquid Discharge technologies
- Low Carbon Intensity (CI) ethanol from Lignocellulosic biomass
- By-product valorisation (across entire biorefinery chain)
- Bagasse upgrading
- Bio-Fertilisers & soil health products
- Bio-Hydrogen (H2) pathways
Felicitation of Panelists
Topic of discussion
- Interview by Parshwati Saha AVP, Media & Communications, JK Group
Presentation By KBK Group
SESSION IX - Chini Tezi ya mandi
+
Moderator: Mrituenjay Jha
Panelists
Anshul Sharma, Atul Chaturvedi, Vijendra Singh, Sandeep Kadam
Topic of discussion
- Bullish or Bearish: Traders and industry inc. do a mood check
Felicitation
Sponsor Felicitations
Valedictory Session (Closing Remarks)
High Tea & Networking
Sugar Networking Dinner
SEIC 2025 Day 1
January 30, 2025
Registrations
Inaugural Ceremony
Shri Nitin Gadkari
Union Minister, Minister of Road Transport & Highways Government of India
Ashwini Srivastava
Joint Secretary, DFPD, Govt. of India
Sangeet Singla
Integrated Financial Advisor, DRDO, Govt. of India
Harshvardhan Patil
President, National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd.
Murugesh Nirani
Founder Chairman MRN Group
Ranjeetsingh Naik Nimbalkar
Promoter, Swaraj Green Power And Fuel Limited
Seema Paroha
Director, NSI
Atul Chaturvedi
Executive Chairman, Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd.
Vijendra Singh
Executive Director, Dy. CEO, Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd. & President AIDA
Atul Mulay
President - Bioenergy, Praj Industries Ltd.
Pankaj Rastogi
Executive Director, Dalmia Bharat Sugar and Industries Limited
Jitu Shah
Founder Chairman JK Group
Uppal Shah
Co-founder & Managing Director, JK India eAgriTech Ltd.
Prasad Ghawate
CEO, Rajganga Biorefineries Pvt. Ltd.
Husain Gangardiwala
Director, NTC Commoditie Pvt. Ltd.
Hemant Shah
Co-founder & Executive Director, JK India eAgriTech Ltd.
Inaugural Speech by Mr. Hemant Shah
Hemant Shah
Co-founder & Executive Director, JK India eAgriTech Ltd.
Keynote Address by Mr. Atul Chaturvedi
Atul Chaturvedi
Executive Chairman, Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd.
Speech by Shri Nitin Gadkari ji
Shri Nitin Gadkari
Union Minister, Minister of Road Transport & Highways Government of India
Opening Address by Mr. Ashwini Srivastava
Ashwini Srivastava
Joint Secretary, DFPD, Govt. of India
Lightening Talk: Production & Trade Dynamics
Robin Shaw
Head of Sugar Analysis, Marex Spectron
Lightning Talk: Sugar & Allied Market Scenario
Deepak Ballani
Director General - Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association
Lunch Break
Session I - Policy Advocacy to Accelerate Growth
Harish Damodaran
National Rural Affairs and Agriculture Editor, The Indian Express
Atul Chaturvedi
Executive Chairman, Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd.
Prakash Naiknavare
M.D., National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd, India
Roshan Lal Tamak
Executive Director & CEO, DCM Shriram
Pankaj Rastogi
Executive Director, Dalmia Bharat Sugar and Industries Limited
Tushar Patil
AVP Bioenergy and Corporate Strategy, Praj Industries
Moderator: Harish Damodaran
Panelists:
Atul Chaturvedi
Prakash Naiknavare
Roshan Lal Tamak
Pankaj Rastogi
Tushar Patil
Topic of discussion: Overview of existing policies affecting sugar industry
Aligning Sugar MSP with costs incurred by sugar mills
Government schemes for modernisation and expansion of sugar mills.
Reforming policies to balance domestic needs and export competitiveness.
Price push for ethanol procured from molasses and grain-based sources
Strategies to adopt higher ethanol blending
Opening Remark: Presentation on Global Sugar S&D
Claudiu Covrig
Sr. Market Analyst, CovrigAnalytics, Switzerland
Session II - Sugar Rush: Global Sugar S&D
Kiran Wadhwana
Owner, COMDEX India Ltd.
Kapil Nema
Asst. Executive Director, Dalmia Bharat Sugar
Deepinder Singh Basra
Commodity Analyst, Green Pool Commodity Specialists
Claudiu Covrig
Sr. Market Analyst, CovrigAnalytics, Switzerland
Vamsi Nanduri
Senior Sugar Trader - Louis Dreyfus Company, Singapore
Moderator: Kiran Wadhawana
Panelists:
Kapil Nema
Deepinder Singh Basra
Claudiu Covrig
Vamsi Nanduri
Topic of discussion: Sugar Rush: Global Sugar S&D
Global Sugar: Supply and Demand scenario (Current and Way Forward)
Factors influencing sugar prices (e.g., weather, geopolitical events, global demand).
Impact of weather patterns and climate change on sugar production.
Influence of currency fluctuations on sugar exports and imports.
Fluctuations in futures markets and their impact on sugar prices.
Impact of geopolitical conflicts on sugar supply chains.
Predictions for sugar demand and supply by 2025-26.
Lightning Talk: From Farm to Fuel by Praj
Atul Mulay
President - Bioenergy, Praj Industries Ltd.
Presentation by CEES
Virendra Jhamb
Founder and Managing Director of CEES India Pvt. Ltd.
Session III - Ethanol & BioFuel: From Farm to Fuel
Vivek Rahi
Partner & National Head - Oil & Gas, KPMG India
Robert Piggot
Global Technical Director, Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits
Vijendra Singh
Executive Director, Dy. CEO, Shree Renuka Sugars Ltd. & President AIDA
Arushi Jain
Jt. Secretary, GEMA
Atul Mulay
President - Bioenergy, Praj Industries Ltd.
Moderator: Vivek Rahi
Panelists:
Robert Piggot
Vijendra Singh
Arushi Jain
Atul Mulay
Topic of discussion: Ethanol & BioFuel: From Farm to Fuel
How ethanol transformed India
Challenges towards achieving 20% ethanol blending by 2025-26.
Role of Govt. policies for encouraging Investments
Policy impetus for Flex Fuel adoption
Balancing food security- Benefits of using surplus Grains, Sugarcane and Crop residues for ethanol production
Emergence of new energy vistas- BioCNG, Hydrogen etc.
La Nina Prediction and Impact on Agriculture
AVM G P Sharma
President (Meteorology & Climate Change), Skymet Weather
Session IV - Climate Change Impact
Sanjeeb Mukherjee
Agriculture Editor, Business Standard
AVM G P Sharma
President (Meteorology & Climate Change), Skymet Weather
Ankita Patil Thackeray
Promoter, Indreshwar Sugar Mill
Tushar Patil
Managing Director, Planeteye Farm-Ai ltd
Sankalp Suman
Deputy Head, Energy & Environment, ISMA
Moderator: Sanjeeb Mukherjee
Panelists:
AVM G P Sharma
Ankita Patil Thackery
Tushar Patil
Sankalp Suman
Topic of discussion: Climate Change Impact
Effects of climate change on sugarcane yields and quality.
Innovations to enhance climate adaptability of sugarcane farming.
Satellite Mapping: A lost opportunity
Improving Sugarcane Productivity
Adopting best practices to mitigate climate change at the farm level
High Tea & Networking
SEIA Awards, Cocktail & Dinner
SEIC 2025 Day 2
January 31, 2025
Presentation on Indian Sugar Balance Sheet
Rahil Shaikh
MD, MEIR Commodities
Session V - Snake & Ladders - The Game of Indian Sugar
Parshwati Saha
AVP, Media & Communications, JK Group
Manohar Joshi
Managing Director at Jawahar Shetkari Sahakari Sakhar Karakhana
Rahil Shaikh
MD, MEIR Commodities
S. L. Sharma
Executive Director, Uttam Sugar Mills Ltd.
Kapil Nema
Asst. Executive Director, Dalmia Bharat Sugar
Moderator: Parshwati Saha
Manohar Joshi
Rahil Shaikh
S. L. Sharma
Kapil Nema
Topic of discussion: Snake & Ladders - The Game of Indian Sugar
Overview of India's position as the leading sugar producer.
Challenges like overproduction and low profitability
Indian Sugar Balance Sheet, Sugar cane diversion, other products
2025-26 SS: Expected sugar production, internal offtake, ethanol diversion
Sugar price dynamics: key factors impacting price
Opening Remarks from NSI
Seema Paroha
Director, NSI
Session VI - The AI Revolution in Chini & BioEnergy Industry
Narendra Mohan
Ex Director, National Sugar Institute (India)
Seema Paroha
Director, NSI
Sanjay Ganjoo
Director General, Indian Federation of Green Energy
Prasad Ghawate
CEO, Rajganga Biorefineries Pvt. Ltd.
Yashodhan Mankame
Executive Vice-President, Business Development, Praj Industries Ltd.
Colonel Rohit Dev
Founder & MD, Reveille Energy
Moderator: Narendra Mohan
Panelists:
Seema Paroha
Sanjay Ganjoo
Prasad Ghawate
Yashodhan Mankame
Col. Rohit Dev
Topic of discussion: AI Revolution in Chini & BioEnergy Industry
Using AI and IoT to improve cane cultivation
Role of technology in reducing BioFuel production costs & supply chain management
Advances in second-generation and third-generation biofuels.
Using AI & IoT for monitoring soil health, irrigation, and pest control
Success stories of AI-driven transformation in leading sugar and bioenergy companies
Lunch
Speech by Shri. Raosaheb Danve Patil
Raosaheb Danve Patil
Former Minister of State for Railways, Coal and Mines, Government of India
Speech by Shri. Raosaheb Danve Patil, Former Minister of State for Railways, Coal and Mines, Government of India
Session VII - The Bull & Bear Show of Domestic Sugar
Anshul Sharma
Head - Sugar Desk, Reliance Retail Limited
SP Tewani
Ex AVP, Mawana Sugars
Mohan Narang
Director, KS Commodities
Yatin Wadhwana
Director, Gradient Commercial
Hemant Shah
Co-founder & Executive Director, JK India eAgriTech Ltd.
Rahil Shaikh
MD, MEIR Commodities
Moderator: Yatin Wadhwana
Panelists:
Rahil Shaikh
Anshul Sharma
Hemant Shah
Mohan Narang
S.P. Tewani
Topic of discussion: The Bull & Bear Show of Domestic Sugar
Sugar balance-sheet
Demand and supply
Pricing trends
2025-26: Crop estimate
Presentation on Shifting sugar consumer behaviour
Sreeraman Thiagarajan
CEO, JK India eAgriTech Ltd
Session VIII -Sweet But Fierce- Indian Sugar a Roaring Tigress in Global Market
Manisha Gupta
Group Commodities Editor, CNBC-TV18
Ravi Gupta
Director, Shree Renuka Sugars
Amit Agrawal
VP, Bajaj Hindustan Sugar
Claudiu Covrig
Sr. Market Analyst, CovrigAnalytics, Switzerland
Manish Gupta
Sucden
Jatin Kothari
Deputy General Manager, The Ugar Sugar Works Ltd.
Moderator: Manisha Gupta
Panelists:
Ravi Gupta
Amit Agrawal
Claudiu Covrig
Manish Gupta
Jatin Kothari
Topic of discussion: Sweet But Fierce- Indian Sugar a Roaring Tigress in Global Market
Sugar exports: Possibility in 2025
Challenges in competing in the global sugar market (e.g., subsidies and pricing).
Opportunities in emerging markets and export diversification including Indian Consumption
Strategies to develop new markets for export
Overcoming International law hurdles
Sponsors Felicitation
Valedictory Session & Conference Summation
Yatin Wadhwana
Director, Gradient Commercial
High Tea
SEIC 2026
Sponsors
SEIC 2026
Highlights
SEIC 2026
Presentations
| Topic | Speaker | File |
| Presentation on Powering Biofuel with Sustainable Solutions | Mr. Nilesh Patil, Sales Manager - Separation Technology, Alfa Laval India |  |
| Presentation on The Agentic Backbone of India's Bioenergy Decade | Mr. Niranjan AG, Director, Business Core Solutions | |
| Presentation on "Can AI turn India's sugar mills into bioenergy intelligence hubs?" | Mr. Anand Mahurkar, Founder & CEO, Findability Sciences Inc. | |
| Presentation on Sustainable Aviation Fuel - An Overview | Mr. Thangapandian Srinivasalu, Advisor, Fuelbrains | |
| Presentation on KBK Chem-Engineering Pvt Ltd. | Mr. Himanshu Gupta, Senior General Manager, KBK Chem-Engineering Pvt. Ltd. | |
| Presentation on "El Nino & SW Monsoon 2026, No reason to Panic!" | MR. K S Hosalikar, Former Additional Director General of Meteorology, IMD | |
| Presentation on Sugar Packaging | Mr. Krishnaprakash Iyer, Co-founder, Monofix | |
| Presentation on "Liquid Gold - Reimagining Wastewater as a Strategic Resource" | Mr. Suchit Dekivadia, Co-founder & CEO, NetXeroC | |
| Presentation on "Biotechnology at the Intersection of the 3 F's: fuel, fertiliser, forex" | Mr. Shabaaz Solanki, Founder, Noor Enzymes | |
| Presentation on "A Hidden Hunger - Silicon" | Mr. D. Vijay Kumar, Technical Director, Privi Life Sciences | |