The sugar harvest season will officially commence on Monday, March 14.
This announcement was made by Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Indar Weir on Saturday, as he and other sugar industry stakeholders toured Portvale Sugar Factory during the final stages of preparations for this year’s crop.
Weir said he was satisfied with the readiness of the factor and workers for this year’s season.
“The target output for 2022 is 6, 800 tonnes of sugar and 6, 900 tonnes of molasses, we are improving over last year,” he said.
“Do note, we are no longer involved in bulk sugar – all of the sugar produced here at this factory is now for local or domestic consumption, where we are satisfying 100 per cent of the domestic market in addition to exporting sugar.”
Weir further added that the change in approach will not only benefit the immediate local consumer and exporters, but the local rum producers as well.
“Previously when we were doing bulk sugar, we were exporting sugar at a significant loss to what it cost us to produce it, we are trying to shrink that gap, and in order for us to do so, we had to come out of the bulk sugar market altogether because it was not worth the effort.
“With direct consumption sugar in addition to molasses we will be getting better prices, we are now able to move this industry forward getting better opportunities in terms of selling the sugar locally, selling the molasses to the rum producers of Barbados, and at the same time having some for export.”
Mark Sealy, Chairman of the Barbados Sugar Industry Limited, said that though he was pleased that this year’s harvest was finally beginning, there was a greater need for officials to work on starting the season earlier on in the year when sugarcane fields in the south of the island were prime and ready.
“We are starting about at least a month and a half late, we would like to start in January simply because remember, there are a number of farms in St Philip and their weather is a lot drier, they get much less rain and their canes are ready by the middle to the end of January, so it’s very important to maximize the sugar content throughout Barbados, that we start early,” he said.
President of the Sugar Industries Staff Association, (SISA) Dwight Miller, said workers had some grievances prior to the start with payments owed and contracts, but these issues have now been resolved and workers are satisfied. (SB)
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