LINSTEAD, St. Catherine:
THE SUGAR industry is anticipating lower yields in sugar this year, a situation that has been linked to drought conditions that prevailed last year.
Senator Peter McConnell, an executive member of the Sugar Producers Federation, told The Gleaner he is expecting a decline in production at Worthy Park, where that sugar crop will start on January 17.
Mr. McConnell said that for the 2000 sugar crop, Worthy Park processed 24,000 tonnes of sugar. But for the 2001 sugar crop, he said the estate was expected to process 20,000 tonnes of sugar, representing a 17 per cent decline in production.
The expected decline is attributed to severe drought conditions that affected the island last year, he noted.
Meanwhile Agriculture Minister, Roger Clarke, also told The Gleaner there would be a decline in the national sugar production for the 2001 sugar crop. He also named protracted drought conditions as the cause.
The Agriculture Minister said for the 2000 sugar crop, the industry processed some 214,000 tonnes of sugar. The current crop is expected to yield 200,000 tonnes, representing a seven per cent decline in production. Meantime, the two trade unions representing sugar workers islandwide toured the Worthy Park Estate in Lluidas Vale, St. Catherine this week to get a first hand look at lands being offered by the estate for the building of houses for sugar workers.
Over 40 acres of lands that are deemed unsuitable for cane production will be used for the purpose of building houses for sugar workers at Worthy Park, but no date has been set for the implementation of this project.
The unions were represented on the tour by Vincent Morrison, Island Supervisor of the National Workers Union (NWU) and George Nicholas, area supervisor of the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU).
According to the Mr. Morrison, the housing programme forms part of an agreement between SPF and Government, and the unions representing sugar workers.
