ST JAMES, Jamaica (JIS) – Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Karl Samuda is expressing optimism for the 2016/2017 sugar crop season. He said it is expected that there will be a resumption of operations at the Appleton Sugar Factory in St Elizabeth, come the first week in January. Samuda was speaking at the 79th Annual Conference of the Jamaica Association of Sugar Technologists, held at RIU Hotel in Ocho Rios, St Ann recently. He also alluded to the recent decision of the European Union (EU) to extend the Sugar Transformation Programme to September 2017. “I want to thank the EU for their invaluable help and assistance through the provisions of 30 million Euros to the…programme. Their funding has seen an improvement in the infrastructure of the industry. This has been assisting in the planting of some 11, 560 hectares of cane with loans through the Cane Expansion Fund,” Samuda informed. Meanwhile, the Agriculture Minister pointed to other areas that have been positively impacted by the EU assistance such as the purchasing of equipment, green cane harvesting, drainage cleaning, upgrading of community centres and provisions of 397 housing solutions for residents in sugar barracks. “I think that we are heading in the right direction and so want to thank our farmers across the country for the levels of commitment and dedication to the sugar industry, resulting in some 28.8 per cent growth over the last quarter,” Minister Samuda pointed out. He reiterated the government’s commitment to continue to provide improved infrastructure in terms of roads and irrigation and the right policy environment for the industry