Sugar crop begins at last
AFTER three postponements, the 2006 sugar cane crop got off to a low-keyed start yesterday. The crop had been re-scheduled on three separate occasions — January 16, 23 and 26 — due to unusual rainfall which caused widespread flooding throughout Central and South Trinidad. The past weekend was also threatened by intermittent showers, but the all-clear was given by the Sugar Manufacturing Company (SMCL) for cane to be burned and "bundled" for transportation to various weighing scales. SMCL’s Chief Executive Officer, Andre Gayadeen, yesterday said no official ceremony was planned for the crop start. He confirmed that repair work on the Ste Madeleine Sugar Factory had been completed in preparation for grinding. However, only a few farmers went into the fields yesterday to cut cane, as scattered mild showers threatened at about 6 am. Trinidad Islandwide Cane Farmers’ Association (TICFA’s) public relations officer, Lallan Rajaram, said the agency responsible for harvesting of the cane — the Sugar Industry Team (SIT) — had advised farmers to begin the crop yesterday. SIT’s production quota has been put at 550,000 tonnes of cane. "Farmers were mobilised to begin the crop for the past month, but because of the weather, it was extremely difficult. We had some sun last week so the majority of the fields have dried out and we have begun to cut and burn the fields," Rajaram said. Management of the weighing scales, he said, has been transferred to the different farmers’ organisations.
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"Sugar crop begins at last"