Monday, June 1, 2009

[PBN]Australia: Conference to target both sugar and ethanol outlook

From: North Queensland Register - 27/05/2009
 
With sugar prices approaching levels that haven't been sustained for many years, and ethanol's future under question, the second Kingsman Australian sugar & ethanol conference next week will take an in-depth look at the outlook for both sectors.

Run by Kingsman, an international sugar and biofuels consultancy company, the conference will hear from specialist speakers including NFF president David Crombie; SL Jain, president of the Indian Sugar Millers Association; Kevin Endres, CEO of the Dalby Ethanol Biorefinery; Ian Glasson, CEO, CSR Sugar and Ethanol; Jackson Chan, Cargill Hong Kong; Greg McDowall, director, Office of Biofuels, NSW Government; Matthew Ridley-Smith, manager, Caltex; Dr Frikki Botham executive director, SRDC; Ian O’Hara, cellulosic ethanol researcher at QUT: and many more.

Brisbane-based Kingman director Tom McNeill said the conference was attracting a wide delegate list from ethanol, sugar, grains, banking and end user sectors but there was room for more.

"We’re particularly keen to attract cane producers as their interest in risk management has increased enormously in the past few years as new tools were provided to forward price sugar and getting a world perspective on what's going on regarding renewable fuel and sugar will be a great to them when making pricing decisions," Mr McNeill said.

"Australia’s ethanol situation looks like improving from cautious increases at a state level with mandates between 2-10 percent – NSW has recently restated its commitment to higher ethanol mandates – but the new Queensland Government appears to have gone cool on a prior commitment to 5 percent.

"So it'll be interesting to hear the presentation from the NSW Government biofuels director Greg McDowall, who played a key role in implementing their ethanol mandate."

The Kingsman Sugar & Ethanol Conference is being held at The Sebel hotel at Cairns next Monday and Tuesday, June 1 & 2.

Source: http://nqr.farmonline.com.au/news/state/sugar/general/conference-to-target-both-sugar-and-ethanol-outlook/1524248.aspx

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