The president ZTBL Ch. Muhammad Zaka Ashraf addressed the concluding session of 44th Annual Convention of Pakistan Society of Sugar Technology (PSST) as chief guest at Pearl Continental Hotel Rawalpindi on 18.08.09. President ZTBL said that sugar industry is the second largest industry after textile and it playing an important role in the economy of Pakistan. He suggested to establish Sugar Technology Research Institute to utilize the sugar brains/technologists in Pakistan for the improvement for sugar industry on the pattern of SKI (Sugar Research Institute of Australia) and development of new hybrid sugar crop varieties. Sugar industry has potential for the export of the sugar, molasses & ethanol. He suggested to improve the sugar cane crop yield through R&D and planning because in Pakistan sugar varieties are very low in yield as compared to the varieties grown in other countries e.g. in comparison with the sugar cane yield in Australia and Egypt is 100.4 and 110.8 tonnes per hectare while in Pakistan the yield is only 49 tonnes per hectare which is very low and still deteriorating day by day. President ZTBL proposed development of industry for proper utilization of products by Govt. and Private sector partnership in the field of power generation & fuel. There are more than 100 other allied by products which can be developed. Blending of fuel ethanol with patrol has been initiated by the Govt. to save foreign exchange, he added. Later on the President ZTBL distributed prizes, the shields & awards related to the sugar industry of Pakistan