NOVEMBER 2000

MAy 2001

NewsletterNo.44

S A SUGAR TECHNOLOGISTS' ASSOCIATION

This newsletter will provide you with all the information that you will need to decide to attend this very special 75^th Congress.

The 75th Congress will focus on the contributions that technologists can make in Africa. Seán Cleary the opening speaker, will unbundle the ‘African Renaissance’ in the context of globalisation and provide us with an insight into the economic future of southern Africa. Florence Wambugu, the technical speaker, will explore how technology, specifically biotechnology, can enhance agricultural productivity in Africa.

The Opening Day of the 75^th Congress will be held on 31 July 2001 at the Holiday Inn Durban Elangeni. The SASTA President will also deliver his annual address and the afternoon will be devoted to the AGM.

This year SASTA has enlisted Sue Bumpsteed Conferences to assist with the registration and administration of the Congress. It is very important that everyone intending to come to the Congress register and pay the registration fee. Registration forms are included in this pack.

Congress officially begins with the opening day and finishes on the 3^rd August with the final agricultural session.

Seán Cleary founded Strategic Concepts which specialises in risk assessment and research and analysis of socio-political and economic issues in Africa south of the Sahara.Seán is a regular lecturer at the Graduate School of Business Leadership at the University of South Africa, the Graduate Institute of Management and Technology and the International Centre for Management Development. His articles have been published in various South African and international journals.

Dr Florence Wambugu of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications based in Nairobi, Kenya, has been invited to address the Technical Session on the opening day of Congress. She believes that in Africa, the key players for gaining acceptance of GM technology, will include, among others, scientists, policy-makers, NGO’s, farmers and farmers’ groups (especially women’s). Private biotechnology initiatives must go hand-in-hand with the development of regulatory frameworks and public awareness campaigns, and with other R&D programmes targeting poor farmers. F Wambugu, Nature 400 :15-16 (2001)

Both speakers have international reputations in their respective fields and their presentations will encourage debate and discussion.

This event will commemorate the contributions from technologists from the past and present. Members are all encouraged to attend even if you do not register for Congress. Please complete the separate form to attend only the 75^th anniversary party. The party will be held at Kwa-Shukela, Mount Edgecombe on 31 July 2001.

All members can attend free of charge but a small charge of R100 for partners has been included. This amount does not cover the total cost per person but will help cover costs.

A similar situation applies to authors who intend to attend the Authors’ Dinner, which is being sponsored by Techserve for the second time. Most authors will have heard if their papers have been accepted, so please fill in the appropriate section on the registration form. If you wish to bring your partner there is an extra cost attached. The venue will be the Holiday Inn Elangeni for this important acknowledgement of all your hard work

The response from technologists has been excellent and the list of submissions is included to entice you to register. Some of the titles may change and some papers may not be accepted. There is a large number of papers from Reunion, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. For the factory section, we may preview the South African ISSCT contributions, which should please members who could not afford the trip to Australia. SMRI and the milling companies have also contributed.

A provisional programme will be available on the web (www.sasta.co.za). This will be updated as we get closer to Congress.

Please ensure that you complete all sections on the new registration form. Part A requires all personal details to be entered. This information will be used to update the SASTA database.

Section B contains details on registration fees. Congress will cost R250 per member which will include all functions (75^th anniversary party/lunches/teas), a copy of the proceedings on CD and a leather folder to commemorate this 75^th birthday. Non-members and late registrations (after 30 June 2001) will pay a higher fee. Details are on the form. Please indicate which sessions you intend to attend.

Section C is registration for the social functions. Please complete for catering purposes.

Section D deals with transport requests from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the University of Natal or Kwa-Shukela.

Section E and F are for the pre- and post-congress tours. Another exciting addition is the possibility of a one-day pre-Congress tour or post-Congress visit to Zululand to see wildlife and to have a welcome rest after Congress

Section G is for accommodation bookings. Special rates have been negotiated for you at the Elangeni and at the Holiday Inn Garden Court North Beach. Please use these hotels because transport has been organised for you.

Section H is for payments and enquiries. Please do not send payment to the SASTA Secretariat and only use methods of payment as described.

All enquiries to be directed to Sue Bumpsteed Conferences at telephone : 27 31 3032480, forms to be faxed : 27 31 3129441 and e-mail : delegates@itikzn.co.za

The Innovation Awards were made for the first time in 2000. These Awards generated considerable interest at Congress 2000 and we would ask you to assist SASTA by nominating entries from the factory and field for the awards in 2001.

We are in discussion with a number of other companies and should you wish to use this special 75^th SASTA Congress to draw attention to your relationships with SASTA, please phone the SASTA secretariat at 031-5393205. We will endeavour to get you maximum exposure.

A Soil Compaction Workshop will be held during Congress 2001. We now have confirmation by Bill Berry, who will speak on the management of soil compaction; MC Laker who will look at effects and amelioration; CW Smith who will provide a perspective from forestry and R van Antwerpen who examine the effect of Haulage on soil properties and yield.

The proposed date for the LIMS/GIS workshop will be 8 November 2001. Presentations in the morning and a workshop session held in the afternoon. More details will follow.

The next ISSCT Technical Workshops will be held in conjunction with Congress 2001 in Brisbane, Australia from 16 – 21 September 2001.

SECTION	VENUE	THEME	DATE
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY	BRISBANE , AUSTRALIA	WHICH WAY FOR SUGARCANE IN THE ‘CENTURY OF BIOTECHNOLOGY’	18 – 20 SEPTEMBER 2001
PROCESS SECTION WORKSHOP	BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA	SUGAR LOSSES FROM MIXED JUICE TO MARKET SUGAR	19 – 20 SEPTEMBER 2001

Do not forget to diarise the 24^th ISSCT Congress to be held in Brisbane, Australia from 16–21 September 2001. You can access the latest news on the Congress via their web/internet site at http://www.ccm.com.au/issct. Delegates wishing to attend the ISSCT Congress are reminded to pay their membership dues (US$70) to the ISSCT Secretariat in Mauritius as a matter of urgency, as attendance at Congress is dependant upon membership.

The SASTA Secretariat is able to assist with ISSCT Membership Application Forms, if required.

This will be held on 31 July 2001 at the Holiday Inn Durban Elangeni – on the opening day of Congress 2001. In accordance with the amended Constitution, please note that nominations and voting for Council appointments will take place closer to the AGM.