Rain wreaks havoc on cane fields

It was announced yesterday by the Sugar Manufacturing Company Ltd (SMCL) that the 2006 sugar cane harvest has been put off for next week Monday as a result of incessant rainfall over the past 24 hours. The annual crop, first scheduled to start two weeks ago, was hit by constant rainfall which caused low-lying areas in Central and South Trinidad to flood Sugar Industry Team (SIT) manager, William Washington, yesterday said that representatives of the four cane farmers’ organisations — Trinidad Islandwide Canefarmers’ Association; Cane Producers Association of TT; Cane Farmers’ Association of TT (CFATT); and Direct Delivery Association — reported that prevailing cane field conditions, were unsuitable for start of the crop. “Because of the weather, farmers will not be able to pull out the cane from the fields, so we have agreed to delay the start of the crop,” Washington said.

Asked if the sugar cane production target of 600,000 tonnes would be affected, Washington expressed optimism that the quota was still attainable once the reaping conditions stabilised. SIT has been mandated by the Ministry of Agriculture to oversee delivery of cane to the SMCL for its milling at the Usine Ste Madeleine sugar factory. Meteorologist Kenneth Kell told Newsday yesterday that rainfall over the past 23 days had a cumulative total of 106.1 mm of rain. Kell added that the present rainfall average has surpassed the 30-year climatological average. He predicted that the country would face more showers over the next few days. Kell also noted that rainfall in January 2005 had also surpassed the 30-year average. However, the meteorologist declined comment when asked if the unusual rainfall signalled a change in world weather patterns.