Agriculture Minister Karl Samuda is pushing for more investment in sugar despite suggestions the industry is dying.

Speaking in the Sectoral debate in the House of Representatives yesterday, Samuda insisted the sugar industry can be viable and profitable if properly organised.

Samuda has even suggested that Jamaica should be growing more sugar cane.

He told Parliament that Jamaica currently produces about 1.4 million tonnes of cane, but his vision for the industry requires some 3.5 million tonnes.

PHOTO: Agriculture Minister Karl Samuda.

Samuda argued that it’s time to begin exporting refined sugar to CARICOM as well as serve the local demand instead of shipping raw sugar to Europe.

He also noted that there is need for cane for ethanol for fuel.

[22]

Samuda informed he has instructed the Bureau of Standards to immediately promulgate mandatory packaging and labelling standards for all sugar in the retail trade.

He said this will allow for greater monitoring; arrest revenue losses; enhance food safety; and create a new industry for packaged sugar.

Meanwhile, Samuda also provided an update on operations at the Long Pond Sugar factory in Trelawny since the Government took over three weeks ago.

He said, so far, the factory has milled some 4,550 tonnes of cane to produce 327 tonnes of sugar.

Samuda also told the Parliament that the Cabinet on Monday gave its approval for Sugar Company of Jamaica Holdings Limited to take over operations at the Monymusk Sugar Factory in Clarendon for a year.