Engineer Edwin Delgado receives the Order of Sugar of Merit

The Guatemalan Sugar Producers Association –Asazgua- delivered on November Wednesday 18th the “Order of Sugar of Merit” to Engineer Edwin Delgado, a professional, who in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, made the proposal and later used his ingenuity and knowledge to design and build the first intensive care mechanical respirator created in Central America, with the purpose of saving many lives.

The Order of Sugar of Merit is an award that recognizes illustrious Guatemalans who with their ingenuity, commitment and dedication stand out and contribute to the well-being and development of Guatemala.

Throughout the history of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry, brilliant and visionary minds have stood out, who with innovation have promoted the growth and development of Guatemala and the sector.

Engineer Delgado received the Order of Sugar of Merit accompanied by his wife Renata Fernandez, with whom he is recognized as a man and a professional, passionate and committed to the health and life of Guatemalans and who with his work contributes to the welfare and development of the country.

“We are very proud that this mechanical respirator was born in the heart of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry. We are honored to present this day the Order of Sugar of Merit to Engineer Edwin Delgado, who led this important project for Guatemala”, said the president of Asazgua, Alfredo Vila.

About Engineer Edwin Delgado

Edwin Orlando Delgado Catalan is originally from the department of Quiche, Guatemala. He graduated as an Electronic Engineer from the University of San Carlos of Guatemala and continued his postgraduate studies in Network Management at the Francisco Marroquin University. In addition, he has a master’s degree in Business Administration from INCAE and Automation studies from Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico.

He has 35 years of experience at La Union Sugar Mill, where he works as Superintendent of Automation and Industrial Development. During his career, he has developed complex automation systems to increase the efficiency of the different production processes, contributing to the Guatemalan Sugar Industry.

Joaquin 1.0, pride of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry

When the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic began, Eng. Delgado, along with other experts, decided to take on the challenge of creating respirators to save Guatemalans lives. In March, with the approval and support of the directors of La Union Sugar Mill, the project began, which consisted of the design, development and creation of the first mechanical respirator for intensive care produced in Guatemala that would be called: Joaquin 1.0.

For this task, a group of professionals from the La Union Sugar Mill and from other sugar mills were brought together to created parts, developed software and developed electronic systems. Doctors and pulmonologists also participated in this process, who contributed with their experience and knowledge in this type of apparatus.

“For me it is a great pride and from today it is a real treasure. I am proud to belong to the Guatemalan Sugar Industry, which has always shown that ideas are valuable and provides everything necessary for them to be carried out”, said Delgado, during the award ceremony.

Asazgua will donate 35 Joaquin 1.0 mechanical respirators to the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance, which will be financed by the Guatemalan Sugar Industry to save the lives of COVID-19 patients and when the pandemic ends, they will be used by future patients.

17 November, 202020 July, 2021

Zafra 2020/21 begins, a season of sweetness and development

Zafra 2020-2021 began with safety mesures

Zafra 2020/21 begins, a season of sweetness and development

The Zafra has started with a “Return to work Protocol with Occupational Health and Safety measures against COVID-19”.

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry began the 2020/21 harvest under strict measures for the prevention of Covid-19 with the commitment to guarantee the supply of sugar, alcohol, and energy for millions of families.

The Zafra begins each year in November and ends in May, a time during which economic reactivation is propitiated in the South of Guatemala, due to the generation of jobs and the hiring of hundreds of suppliers of products and services.

Measures that sugar mills have adopted in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic

The production of food and energy are essential; therefore, the Guatemalan Sugar Industry is committed to Guatemala and the world to guarantee the supply of sugar, alcohol, and electricity.

The sugar mills continue their operations under strict preventive measures to provide a safe work environment, following Occupational Health and Safety protocols and the dispositions of the authorities.

In order to maintain sanitary measures, there is the: “Return to work protocol with Occupational Health and Safety measures against COVID-19“, which has been designed and formulated by the Guatemalan Sugar Industry with COVID-19 preventive measures to apply in administrative, agricultural and industrial areas.

This protocol was created based on the Presidential Provisions, the Protocol of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS), the Guatemalan Social Security Institute (IGSS), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO). Each sugar mill adopts and adapts it to its daily operation, within the terms of the Law and the Epidemiological Surveillance System of the Occupational Health and Safety Union Policy.

Production projection for the 2020/21 Zafra

For the 2020/21 Zafra, the production expectation will remain between 2.6 and 2.7 metric tons of sugar.

According to the projection, the production of the 2020/21 Zafra in quintals is equivalent approximately to 57 and 58 million quintals of sugar. Guatemala is the third country with the highest productivity in the world, obtaining an average of 10.6 tons of sugar for each hectare of cane cultivated.

For this harvest, the cultivated area is 250,662 hectares and according to the Forest Cover Map prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food -MAGA-, the cultivation of sugarcane represents 3.3% of the arable area of the country.

During the 2019/20 harvest, 56 thousand direct jobs and 280 thousand indirect jobs were generated, benefiting 90% of the municipalities of Guatemala with the economic footprint of Sugar.

Guatemalan Sugar in the world

Guatemala is the second largest sugar exporter in Latin America and the fourth worldwide; it also has the third place in productivity at the global level with respect to obtaining sugar per hectare of cultivated cane.

The main export markets in the 2019/20 Zafra were Canada, the United States, Chile, Mauritania, Taiwan, China, New Zealand, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Senegal. For this year, countries such as Romania and Equatorial Guinea are added, to which sugar from Guatemala will be exported for the first time.

These exports, added to those of alcohol and molasses, represent 7% of the country’s exports in 2019, according to figures from the Bank of Guatemala.

Renewable energy production

There are 11 sugar mills, and they operate in the departments of Escuintla, Santa Rosa, Suchitepequez and Retalhuleu. In addition to producing sugar, they generate renewable electricity. During the previous harvest, the mills served up to 35% of the national energy demand.

During the 2019/20 harvest, the Guatemalan Sugar Industry generated 1,991 gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable energy; 8.6% more than what was generated during the previous season 2018/19, when 1,834 GWh were generated. Contributing to the diversification of the energy matrix and the stability of the electricity rate in the country.

15 October, 202015 October, 2020

131 youngsters graduate with Guatemalan Sugar Industry’s scholarships

131 young people from 10 technical careers graduated

As part of the “Study Opportunities” scholarship program, promoted by the Guatemalan Sugar Producers Association –Asazgua-, 131 young people from 10 technical careers graduated on Thursday, October 15th.

Since the beginning of the program to date, Asazgua has awarded more than 1800 scholarships for the benefit of the youth of the South of Guatemala.

These scholarships to study at the Technical Training and Productivity Institute -Intecap- are awarded to young people between 15 and 25 years old who have completed 3rd grade, their objective is to give them the opportunity to pursue a technical career that allows them to be more qualified for the labor market or start their own business.

Of the graduates, 117 are men and 17 women, who obtained the careers of: home and commercial electrician, car straightener and painter, cook, international cook, home electrician. As well as technicians in: industrial welding, automotive mechanics, industrial electricity, and in refrigeration and air conditioning, at the Intecap headquarters in 4 departments of the South of the country.

“We recognize in a special way the effort made by these 131 young people to complete their studies despite the difficulties generated by the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic, and now they are experts who will be able to contribute to the development of the South of Guatemala,” commented Alfredo Vila, President of Asazgua.

Intecap has carried out two market studies to detect labor needs in the region, with the aim of promoting the training and specialization of young people in the professions with the greatest demand. These increases the employment opportunities of these young people when they graduate from their careers. On average 65% of young graduates obtain formal employment.

14 October, 2020

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry increased by 8.6% the generation of renewable energy

During the 2019/20 zafra, the Guatemalan Sugar Industry generated 1,991 gigawatts (GWh) of renewable energy; 8.6% more than what was generated during the previous season 2018-19, when 1,834 GWh were generated.

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry uses the bagasse or biomass from crushed sugar cane, one of the residues from sugar production, for the production of renewable energy during the zafra season, thereby contributing to the diversification of the energy matrix and to the stability of the electricity rate in the Central American country.

The harvest and sugar production season known as Zafra in Guatemala runs from November to May of the following year and each year more than 7.5 million tons of cane bagasse are reused, resulting from the sugar production process, for the generation of renewable energy. This makes the Guatemalan Sugar Industry self-sufficient in the energy field since they generate their own energy, and the surplus is sold to the National Interconnected System.

This generation of renewable energy prevents 4 million tons of CO2 from reaching the environment each year, according to research by the Private Institute for Climate Change Research of Guatemala -ICC-, a technical institution in charge of advising the sugar sector on environmental matters.

7 October, 202012 November, 2020

The harvest Season in Guatemala means development

The Harvest Season known as “Zafra” generates more than 56 thousand direct jobs and more than 280 thousand indirect jobs in Guatemala and is a booster for the economy.

There are many trade opportunities that arise during the Zafra season. Businesses increase their sales, which promotes the growth of the local economy and the generation of jobs. The sugar mills generate 56 thousand direct jobs and 280 thousand indirect jobs during the Harvest Season.

In addition, around 6,300 suppliers, among them 5,635 small and micro-businesses and the rest of medium and large companies, sell equipment and materials to the sugar mills and create jobs in the process.

Among the companies that provide services to sugar mills are laboratories, workshops, food companies, tire shops, sales and rental of heavy machinery, cane producers, technology companies, oil companies, hardware stores, transportation services and gas stations.

Also, businesses on the South of the country, including pharmacies, shoe stores, warehouses, shops, hotels, restaurants, and markets are benefited by the economic movement generated by the Zafra.

That is why the start of the 2020/2021 Zafra will help the economic reactivation of the region and the country while the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic continues.

The Guatemalan Sugar Industry maintains its commitment to the production of sugar, alcohol and energy for Guatemala and the world. The sugar mills are prepared to start the 2020/2021 harvest and have adopted the Return to Work Protocol with Occupational Health and Safety measures against COVID-19.