New Delhi, August 21, 2026: The 16th Annual UPDA NextGen Distillery Summit 2026, presented by Dovoy Grain Processing and powered by Novonesis, was successfully held at Hotel Radisson Blu Plaza, Delhi Airport, New Delhi, bringing together over 300 industry stakeholders including distillery owners, technology providers, government officials, international diplomats and industry experts for a full-day programme of technical sessions, knowledge exchange and networking.
The event was organised by the UP Distillers Association, the apex body of the distillery industry founded in 1983 and currently completing 40 years of service to the sector.
The inaugural session was chaired by the UPDA leadership S.K. Shukla, President, UP Distillers Association; Alok Kumar Agarwal, Vice President; and Rajneesh Agarwal, Secretary General alongside distinguished guests from government, diplomacy and industry. The Chief Guest for the occasion was Shri Milind Bhikanrao Deore, Secretary, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power, Government of India. Guests of Honour included Dr. Mehraj A.S., Deputy Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture, and Shri Sudhir Kumar, Deputy Excise Commissioner, Government of Uttar Pradesh.
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The inaugural session also saw the presence of several international diplomats, including H.E. Ms. Penny Rogers, Agriculture Attaché to India from the British High Commission; H.E. Mr. Reece H. Cannady, Director South Asia, US Grains and BioProducts Council; H.E. Mr. Roberto Carlos Papa, Agricultural Attaché from the Embassy of Brazil; and H.E. Ms. Jacqueline Mukangira, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda. Distinguished guests also included Dr. Hanuman Sahay Jat, Director, Indian Institute of Maize Research, and Mr. Duttle Bing, General Manager, ASPAC and EMEA.
The plenary session featured technical presentations covering the full spectrum of the distillery and ethanol landscape from aflatoxin challenges and biotechnology-driven solutions by Dovoy Grain Processing, to biorefinery transitions, maize-based distillation, and the India-UK FTA’s impact on the alco-beverage segment presented by Ernst and Young. A panel discussion in the afternoon brought together voices from FSSAI regulatory practice, enzyme and process innovation, the Indian malt whisky sector and distillery industry operations.
Aabkari Times India’s leading excise and AlcoBev industry publication was felicitated at the summit as an official Media Partner for the event, recognising its consistent coverage of the distillery, ethanol and excise sectors.
The Knowledge Session included presentations from the Shriram Institute of Industrial Research on chloride and sulphur tracking in ethanol, and from Corteva Agriscience on India’s ethanol potential through seed hybrid approaches. The summit concluded with a Mementos and Group Photograph session, a networking cocktail and the announcement that the next UPDA Summit is planned for April 2027.
Aabkari Times has been associated with UPDA’s annual summits as a dedicated trade media voice covering India’s excise, distillery and ethanol industry, and is honoured to have been recognised at the 16th edition of this flagship industry gathering.
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