Gareth Manning, Gleaner Writer
Trucks hauling cane remain at a standstill outside the gates of the Bernard Lodge Estate in St. Catherine while field workers look on during a strike at the sugar factory last year. - NORMAN GRINDLEY/DEPUTY CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
WITH JUST a few weeks into the new sugar crop, the shortage of cane at some factories and poor infrastructure could place stress on the island's efforts to meet the production target for this year's crop.
The industry expects to produce 177,000 tonnes of sugar from 1.9 million tonnes of cane. However, while industry officials are hopeful the target will be met, the All Island Jamaica Cane Farmers Association (AIJCFA) says it is not possible.
"In terms of a total projection of 170,000 odd tonnes for the crop I can really confidently predict that we are not going to make in excess of 153, 000 tonnes," said the association's president Allan Rickards.
He explains that there are several things affecting the sector, including the temporary closure of the Bernard Lodge Estate. Bernard Lodge is the forth-largest producer of sugar in the island. The factory was ordered closed January 23 after key equipment was damaged, which the management described as 'suspicious'.
"When I look at the performance, up to Monday we had made 24,052 tonnes of raw sugar ... So although all the factories are working now, what you need to look at is the fact that Bernard Lodge is out and when you look in the corner you see (the other factories) out of cane, out of cane, out of cane," said Mr. Rickards.
SHORTAGE OF CANE CUTTERS
Karl James, general manager of Jamaica Cane Products Sales, is confident that the target can be met. "The indications are if we settle down, we are cautiously still looking at the quality of the cane coming in. If the weather dries out like it is doing here now, by the time we get to the end of January, you would have seen better quality juice and therefore improved sugar yield," he said.
The cane farmers association president says that the shortage of cane cutters has resulted in the factories being out of cane. The cutters, he said, are being discouraged by depressing talk about the industry.
Said Mr. Rickards: "Somebody sat before me yesterday and said it had its full quota of cutters, but he had to go look for them, he had to provide the accommodation for them, he had to provide transpor-tation for them to his place. And once that is so the cutters will be available, but for instance Worthy Park is having for the first time days when it's out of cane, this is unusual for Worthy Park and it's all because of a shortage of cutters."
Karl James admitted that many factories are having difficulties with accessing cane cutters to reap the crop, but speculates that the problem is caused by many of these cutters finding employment on construction projects around the island.
"Some of the casual workers who should be cutting cane are involved in the building industry so we are not getting the number of cutters that we would be normally getting at this time," Mr. James explained. "We (have to) start beating the bush to find those guys who still are not employed to get them to go out and cut cane so all the factories are having some difficulty with sufficient cutters for this year."
But Mr. Rickards is also concerned about the harvesting of the crop. He said that the faulty harvesting equipment at the Sugar Company of Jamaica (SCJ)-owned factories is slowing the process. In referring to Bernard Lodge, Mr. Rickards says the harvesting process is in trouble as most of the tractors and machinery are in a state of disrepair. "The main-tenance is so bad they have to cannibalise, patch one where there were two. They have had to rely more heavily on private contractors to help them take off the cane," Mr. Rickards argues.
CONTRACTING SERVICES
He says that the reliance on private contractors makes it more difficult for private farmers to access contracting services and slows down the process of reaping and cane processing. He says the Frome Estate in Westmoreland, for example, which has a grinding capacity in excess of 6,000 tonnes of cane, is grinding 4,000 tonnes and less because there is not enough machinery and cutters to reap the crop. He says this prolongs the crop period and puts it in danger of suffering from the effects of another rainy season.
However, Livingstone Morrison, the president and chief executive officer of the SCJ, which owns and operates the five state-owned sugar factories, says he is confident that the production target will be achieved despite the problems. In responding to criticisms regarding the shutdown of the Bernard Lodge Estate, Mr. Morrison said that the decision was made in the best interest of the industry and would result in huge savings for the SCJ.
"I am anticipating that the decision that we have taken will save us tens of millions of dollars (because) we simply could not continue to operate with the situation as it unfolded," said Mr. Morrison. "We are looking at savings rather than costs."
Sugar production statistics
1975 366,411 tonnes
1976 365,515 tonnes
1977 295,826 tonnes
1978 305,594 tonnes
1979 270,170 tonnes
1980 250,676 tonnes
1981 204,885 tonnes
1982 202,205 tonnes
1983 200,080 tonnes
1984 195,915 tonnes
1985 210,025 tonnes
1986 203,502 tonnes
1987 190,983 tonnes
1988 224,347 tonnes
1989 192,382 tonnes
1990 219,070 tonnes
1991 237,353 tonnes
1992 223,463 tonnes
1993 223,979 tonnes
1994 220,350 tonnes
1995 211,514 tonnes
1996 237,943 tonnes
1997 236,510 tonnes
1998 186,133 tonnes
1999 204,188 tonnes
2000 216,387 tonnes
2001 204,478 tonnes
2002 174,640 tonnes
2003 152,536 tonnes
2004 183,672 tonnes
2005 126,000 tonnes
Source: Sugar Industry Authority
