Hon Karl Samuda (podium), Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, addresses investors from across the Caribbean on the region’s agricultural potential at the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) 12th Regional Investments & Capital Markets Conference held at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel January 25, 2017. At right is Robin Levy, general manager of the Jamaica Central Securities Depository at the JSE.
The recently announced standards governing the packaging and labelling of brown sugar will now be extended to include granulated sugar.
This was announced today, January 25, by Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, the Hon Karl Samuda who was speaking at the Jamaica Stock Exchange’s 12th Regional Investment and Capital Markets Conference in Kingston.
The agriculture minister said that effective July 1, 2017 all sugar, including granulated sugar, would be mandated to be packaged and labelled in accordance with the Bureau of Standards requirements.
The inclusion of granulated sugar comes about a month following the gazetting of the Compulsory Standards (Declaration of Standard Specification) (Brown Sugar [Revised]) Order, 2016 on Friday, December 30, 2016.
The new standard revokes the Compulsory Standards (Declaration of Standard Specification) (Brown Cane Sugar) Order, 1985.
Under the new labelling system, sugar sold on the local market will be packaged to guarantee the integrity of the product and to protect it from contamination.
The standard will also serve as a disincentive for manufacturers that import sugar for use as raw material to divert it to the local retail trade.
The inclusion of granulated sugar in the compulsory standards and labelling system was among several measures announced by Minister Samuda as part of his Ministry’s efforts to expand production and productivity in the sugar cane industry.
The other measures include diversification of the sector, engagement in value added production, improved efficiencies, greater mechanization, expansion of exports to the regional market and greater investment.
In spite of some of the challenges confronting the industry, the Minister expressed optimism , declaring that this would be a good year for sugar, which is expected to achieve the best crop in the last few years and earn some US$700 per tonne, up from US$370 per tonne earned last year.
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