Jamaica could export sugar to CARICOM

Prime Minister Bruce Golding says Jamaica could be looking to exploit CARICOM's sugar demand to help revive Jamaica's sugar industry.

The Prime Minister said the Chinese firm which is about to take over some of the government owned sugar factories, has proposed to not only start processing sugar in Jamaica, but will also refine the sugar.

Currently, Jamaica only produces raw sugar and imports brown sugar called "golden crystals", along with granulated sugar, used chiefly by food processors.

Jamaica consumes about 65,000 tonnes of granulated sugar, annually, while the rest of Caricom consumes about 75,000 tonnes, which the Chinese are eyeing as a supply market, for their Jamaican sugar holdings.

“And the Chinese say ‘why don’t we build a refinery in Jamaica, produce the white sugar here, produce the Golden Crystal, whatever shape or colour we can produce it here’,”

“We supply Jamaica and since Jamaica is part of CARICOM, we export to CARICOM as well so CARICOM doesn’t have to be buying sugar from Colombia and these other places,”

The Prime Minister used the impending revival of the sugar industry, to chastise critics, chiefly Opposition Spokesman on Agriculture, Roger Clake, who said that Jamaia's sugar industry is "dead".

“Roger Clarke said sugar is ‘dead’. When we finish with the transformation of the sugar industry what a mighty duppy Roger Clark is going to have to bury,” Mr. Golding said.