BUSINESS MONDAY: SUGAR OUTPUT UNCERTAIN

THE jury is still out in relation to the volume of sugar Barbados can expect from this year’s cane crop.

Stakeholders are hoping to have the crop started at least by the end of this month, once certain loose ends dealing with negotiations on behalf of sugar workers and other preparations are sorted out, the Minister of Agriculture Indar Weir was quoted in the media as saying.

The Minister, along with officials from Barbados Farms Limited (BFL), the Barbados Agricultural Management Company and the Barbados Sugar Industry Limited, are expecting a bigger sugar output.

In previous interviews, both Edward Clarke of BFL and Mark Sealey of the BSIL, said they were hoping for more sugar this year when compared to a year ago.

This initial projection stemmed from the excess  rainfall which took place in Barbados in 2020, and support the cane farmers received from government.

Estimates suggest that close to 10 000 tonnes of sugar were produced last year.

However, as was indicated to Business Monday recently, production efficiencies  are necessary to bring production up to higher levels, along with higher quality canes supplied to the lone sugar factory at Portvale, St. James, as well as the dry and favourable conditions currently prevailing.

Barbados is considered a high cost producer and for a long time, the amount it was costing the country to produce sugar was higher than what it was obtaining from the sale of sugar per tonne to the European Union.

These conditions, it was pointed out, are ideal for harvesting. Currently, it is still taking Barbados between 10 and 12 tonnes of canes to make a tonne of sugar. Years ago it used to be eight tonnes of cane to one tonne of sugar.

“This can only be improved once cane quality is better, the factory is operating at full capacity, and conditions are ideal for harvesting,” according to an analyst.