The Government is finalising a modern legal framework for the sugar industry and will shortly establish a dedicated training institute for the sector, according to Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green.
He said the industry remains a very important sector that is still critical to the nation’s food security matrix, and the Government must lead a process to renew laws regulating the industry for profitability.
“We have to have a facilitatory framework that ensures that people who want to invest in sugar can do so and do so profitably. Farmers should be able to choose sugar because they can get good returns on their investment,” the Minister said.
He was delivering the keynote address at the 87th Annual Conference of the Jamaica Association of Sugar Technologists (JAST), held at the Sugar Industry Authority (SIA) in Manchester, on November 7.
The Minister said that the training institute will equip the next generation of cane farmers and deal with skills development for workers in the industry, adding that it will also engage in research, because with Climate Change new diseases are emerging, and the State must be able to deal with them effectively.
“The Government must have the capacity, with technical expertise, to go out, identify, diagnose, and prescribe the treatment framework for these new things,” he added.
He reported that during the 2021/2022 financial year, the sugar industry contributed nearly US$43 million to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).
The Minister pointed out that the industry directly and indirectly employs thousands of Jamaicans, supporting communities and livelihoods across the island, including the provision of key ingredients in many of the local food products.
He said that a master plan will shortly be in place for the industry, being developed with “strong private-sector principles” to ensure that it is well aligned with current market and corporate trends for a more efficient and adaptable industry, capable of competing in both local and international markets.
“When we go through all our processes, our master plan, changing our laws, putting more money behind research and training, we will have a sustainable sugar industry that will be here for generations. It can happen, and it will happen, because we have the expertise and the dedication,” the Minister said.
