Coronavirus – reflection + speculation = misinformation
“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” Oscar Wilde With the exception of communities in remote parts, few would not have heard of coronavirus Covid-19 by now and […]
Digital agriculture – traversing the intrinsic vs novelty value of emerging technologies
We live in a connected world. This is driven by the powerful technology trends informed by the continuing rise in processing power, storage, and bandwidth at ever-lower costs along with […]
Sugar beet production challenges in EU amidst regulatory hurdles
As we start a new decade in a world driven by social media and half-truths, there is a need to establish the truth about the threats to world sugar production […]
The faltering bioeconomy
Well remember attending the European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology event in Edinburgh in October 2010. The event was buzzing with hope for the emerging biobased chemicals sector, despite the perception […]
Reflections on the year
As per last year, this year recalled the truism that sugar operates in a bear market and is occasionally bullish when inclement weather significantly impacts output in key producing regions. […]
There is hope for Beet after Brexit
Sugar beet remains one of the most valuable and consistent break crops in the arable rotation on many farms in Eastern England. However, there may be challenges just around the […]
Time to overhaul the organization and management of ISSCT and its flagship congress
Founded in 1924, the International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists is the single most important institution in the sugar industry advancing as it does the competitiveness of the global cane […]
The futility of China’s interactions across the global sugar sector
Many years ago, I asked a British diplomat at an embassy reception in Swaziland who was the best colonizer – British, French or the Dutch. He, of course, didn’t reply. […]
Cane productivity and diversification take top billing at the 2019 ISSCT congress
In early September, key players in the sugarcane industry, particularly those in the R&D sector and those supplying a range of equipment, products and services to the sector will be […]
Covid-19 – Emerging and developing economies hit hardest by supply chain disruptions and opportunistic pricing: Case study – sugar
Coronavirus-related lockdowns have invariably dislocated normality which is increasingly becoming a distant memory. Oil prices have fallen by over half in the recent past and global demand plummeting from lockdown […]