THE EDITOR, Sir:WELL, THE sugar crop has ended and it has been the disaster that I foresaw at the beginning of crop.
This has been the worst crop in modern Jamaican history, but guess what? Next year will be worse.
It is also disheartening to note that Appleton Estate's production, which include Appleton, Holland and New Yarmouth, together with their respective farmers, has also fallen from about 26,700 tons of sugar last year to about 20,880 tons of sugar this year.
This is with their much-vaunted centre pivot irrigation, mechanical harvesters and the ultra-modern production methods that they have installed. Due of course to the very deep pockets of their parent company, J. Wray & Nephew Ltd.
Please note that this is also the factory that buys cane from the Minister of Agriculture himself.
However while I dwell on the sugar industry:
The ginger crop has been the worst in modern Jamaican history.
The orange crop has been the worst in modern Jamaican history.
The coconut crop has been the worst in modern Jamaican history.
The banana crop has been the worst in modern Jamaican history.
The watermelon crop has been the worst in modern Jamaican history.
Etc., etc., etc., one could go on forever.
What is wrong?
I will tell you whereas in terms of fertilisation, agronomy, farm management, mechanisation, Jamaican farmers are up there with the best, where we missed the boat was with disease, particularly soil-borne diseases.
What goes on under the earth is crucial to the success or failure of any crop.
We seem to have taken the one step forward, two steps backward approach, not realising that farm production in the progressive nations have now gone three steps forward.
We have failed miserably to examine our roots therefore we lose our vitality, while others thrive.
We will now all be written off the map completely while we blame drought, flood, breeze blow, bad-mindedness and bad mouth most of which are a figment of our imagination. We will try to console ourselves with excuses that only we listen to as we wallow in poverty, brought about by our own stupidity.
I am, etc.,
CHARLES GILPIN-HUDSON
Guanaboa Vale P.O.
St. Catherine
