Bad weather forces cane harvest delay

FOR THE second consecutive year, the start of the sugar cane harvest has been delayed by unusually heavy rainfall.   This year’s crop, which was scheduled to begin today, has been tentatively rescheduled to next Monday. Last year’s crop was postponed on three separate occasions due to adverse weather conditions which brought heavier-than-normal rainfall at what is the traditional start of the dry season. Trinidad Islandwide Cane Farmers Association (TICFA) Public Relations Officer Lallan Rajaram, said farmers were informed about the delay during a meeting with members of the Sugar Industry Team (SIT) last Friday.

He said improved weather conditions during the upcoming week would allow waterlogged fields to sufficiently dry-out for the sugar harvest to begin. “If farmers attempt to bring their canes out of the fields under these conditions, they will have to replant afterwards because even the root stools would become damaged,” Rajaram said. However, he noted the delay in announcing the crop’s postponement would adversely affect a number of farmers since several cane fields in Malgretoute Village and Couva  had already been burnt in anticipation of today’s start of harvesting. “I don’t know what will happen to those canes because I can’t see the factory accepting canes over a week old because there will not be anything left in the cane,” he said.

Rajaram also repeated claims that farmers were still seeking a firm commitment from Government on the future survival of the sugar cane industry in light of next year’s phased price reduction by the European Union. “Farmers have invested millions of dollars into this industry and they are saying if they cannot get a firm commitment about the future survival of the industry, then the final option is a buyout of the farmers on par with what occurred with Caroni Limited,” he said. He then claimed farmers had not received a price increase for several years while having to shoulder the burden of increased labour, transportation and other costs.

He also questioned this year’s projected target of 60,000 tonnes of sugar from the 600,000 tonnes of cane saying last year’s cane to sugar ratio had reached an unacceptable high of 16 tonnes to one tonne of sugar. “We have submitted a number of proposals to the Minister of Agriculture but so far we have not heard anything from anyone in Government about the future of the industry and farmers are beginning to feel that they are now redundant,” he concluded. Calls to the Sugar Manufacturing Company Limited went unanswered.