Green wants sweet revival - Minister urges farmers to reclaim sugar’s crown

With Jamaica's sugar industry facing sharp declines in cane milling and sugar production over the past five years, Agriculture Minister Floyd Green is rallying farmers to seize the moment and return to sugarcane production.

"I am now saying to farmers, invest in farming and go back into sugarcane production," Green urged during a tour of the Frome Sugar Factory in Westmoreland last Wednesday.

His message comes at a time when farmers and manufacturers are enjoying the highest sugar prices in decades, making the sector ripe for revitalisation.

According to the latest Economic and Social Survey of Jamaica, the total volume of cane milled has plummeted from 744,000 tonnes in 2019 to 414,000 tonnes in 2023.

Cane supplied by farmers fell by nearly 50 per cent, and sugar production dropped from 56,500 thousand tonnes in 2019 to 32,900 tonnes in 2023.

The total acreage reaped in the sugar industry saw a decline from 15,700 hectares in 2019 to 8,000 thousand hectares in 2023. This decrease was observed across both farmers and estates. Acreage for farmers fell from 7,400 hectares in 2019 to 3,600 hectares in 2023. Acreage for sugar estates declined from 8,400 hectares in 2019 to 4,000 hectares in 2023.

The declines have been attributed to a lack of harvesting equipment, shortages of cane cutters, and weather-related setbacks.

Despite these challenges, Green is optimistic about the sector's future. He highlighted several promising developments, including a US$1-million investment by Pan Caribbean Sugar Company to modernize the Frome Sugar Factory. The factory's new agricultural and harvesting equipment is part of a broader effort to increase efficiency and build resilience in the industry.

"We would have now spoken to [Pan Caribbean] about providing support directly to the farmers in terms of inputs, but more importantly, helping them with the mechanised harvesters they now have so they can become more efficient," he pointed out.

"So, they are encouraging more farmers to repurpose their field, get back out there, and more than that, they are willing to provide the support," he added.