The Colombian sugarcane agribusiness created Cenicaña in 1977 to project its sustainability and competitiveness.
The Colombian sugarcane agribusiness created Cenicaña in 1977 to project its sustainability and competitiveness. Today, 40 years later, the results obtained by the Center, with the participation of mills and growers, offer tangible benefits for the sector and its environment, and it is a model for other agroindustries in Colombia and abroad.
The success of this model is based on the investment voluntarily made by sugar mills and growers. However, the commitment has gone beyond financials. It is complemented by the integration of mills and growers around technological development, joint definition of priorities, monitoring of research results, scientific rigor, permanent interaction with our clients through technology transfer and training inherent to topics related to research.
That is why we have reached 40 years. During this time, significant improvements in productivity and cost reduction have been achieved with technologies that promote clean production, sustainability, less demand for natural resources and less use of synthetic inputs.
In the medium and long term, progress in research will require new knowledge and the use of new technological tools. But also, it is necessary to take more advantage of the developments achieved in varieties, agronomic management and the harvesting, transportation and factory processes. This is the dynamic in the short term.
In the coming years, the agribusiness must ensure that it remains competitive, for which the integral vision of mills, growers and Cenicaña is essential.
Although, the control of the strategic pillars of research must be in the Center, the dynamics and execution of the research must be supported by the contributions of other research centers and universities in different parts of the planet, because knowledge must strengthen the developments that generate expected benefits for the sugarcane agribusiness.
But not everything must be science and knowledge. Being, the people who are part of the sector are the engine to integrate visions, share knowledge and stimulate developments that contribute to the goals of agribusiness. Therefore, taking advantage of people's capacities and strengthening their personal development will be of greater relevance in the future.
The use of cane for the production of sugar will be less and less and its projection will go towards energy, ethanol and higher value products such as flavonoids, bioplastics or metabolites for pharmaceutical products. In this regard, Cenicaña already has some ongoing developments and its results will come in the medium and long term. This means that the agribusiness has a Research Center projected towards the future; Furthermore, sugarcane is a highly competitive vegetable plant in relation to other crops.
Without a doubt, sugar cane is a true treasure whose value will be higher with the joint action of all.
Álvaro Amaya Estevez
CEO, Cenicaña
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