Cane farmers set 60,000—tonne target

THIS year’s sugar cane crop is set to begin on January 16. In announcing the date yesterday, Government reaffirmed its commitment to development of several sugar cane downstream industries for ethanol and alcohol production. These were among major decisions agreed to at a meeting between the industry’s stakeholders at the Ministry of Agriculture offices in St Clair on Wednesday. Attending the meeting were Trade and Industry Minister Ken Valley, chairman of the Sugar Manufacturing Company Ltd (SMCL) Prem Nandlal, and Sugar Industry Team (SIT) chief operating officer, Wayne Inniss.

Representing sugar workers were the Trinidad Islandwide Cane Farmers’ Association (TICFA), Cane Producers’ Association (CPATT), and the Cane Farmers’ Association (CFATT). Inniss told Newsday that this year’s crop would be a marked improvement over the past two years, which saw steadily declining production quotas. A sugar shortage last year almost crippled the soft drink and confectionery industries, and manufacturers were forced to curtail production until sugar was imported. Inniss said the timely application of fertilisers and anticipated, favourable weather conditions, should help the farmers meet the 60,000-tonne production quota that has been set for this year’s crop.

Asked about management of the cane-weighing scales which were divided among the farmers organisations but which evoked cries of discrimination from small farmers last year, Inniss said that the issue was “under review.” A decision on who would operate the scales, he added, will be taken next week. Farmers were informed at the meeting about the European Union’s (EU) decision to reduce prices by 39 percent from 2007, over the next few years.

Inniss said the time had come to “think outside the box” to ensure the future survival of the sugar cane industry. The continued subsidising of fertilisers by some 50 percent, Inniss revealed, was also agreed to by Agriculture Minister, Jarette Narine. It was also agreed that the ministry will consider the importation of fertilisers such as potash and lime for use in certain soil types. New varieties of cane are also being explored. The objective of introducing more varieties is to reach a target of one million tonnes of cane over the next six years. Burning of cane is to be phased out over the next six years.