Clarke THE LONG-AWAITED report from the sugar industry technical committee, appointed in January by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson to study and make recommendations on the viability of the sector, should be available within two weeks.
This was the response from Mrs. Marjorie Henriques, chairperson of the committee, to queries from The Gleaner about the delay in the release of the report. Since the formation of the committee, assurances have been given of the report being available by the end of February and, later, by the end of March. But, up to now, it has not been made available. The Gleaner was not able to ascertain what has caused the delay.
The committee is made up of persons from the Sugar Industry Authority (SIA), the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) and the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). Mrs. Henriques is a special adviser to Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies.
The Prime Minister set up the committee after the Cabinet devoted considerable attention to a wide range of problems affecting the industry late last year. The Cabinet concluded that the fluctuating fortunes and future prospects of the industry demanded urgent consideration, in terms of its long term future.
Mr. Patterson convened a meeting at Jamaica House on January 4, of the relevant Ministries and officials, "to settle the modalities and the time-frame which would guide our approach to completing a definitive study and making precise recommendations as to future directions".
The industry is the second largest single employer of labour, rising to some 41,000 persons during cropping and falling to 28,000 during out of crop periods. It is estimated that about 200,000 persons derive a livelihood directly or indirectly from sugar.
Minister of Agriculture Roger Clarke said that proposals from the manufacturers, representatives of unions and cane farmers would be channelled through the SIA, while the DBJ was intimately involved with the financing of the industry. The PIOJ has responsibility of looking at the macro-economic planning of the industry and how it will fit into the overall economy.
Mr. Clarke has said that it will take about $3 billion and five years to make the industry ready for divestment again.
