Massive recruitment of cane cutters underway at Everglades Farms

Mark Cummings

Thursday, February 09, 2012

CLARKS TOWN, Trelawny - Everglades Farms Limited, operators of the Long Pond Sugar factory in Trelawny, has intensified its drive to recruit cane cutters for the 20011/2012 sugar crop, expected to begin within another week.

" We have taken the drive islandwide and we are hoping to recruit about 300 cane cutters for the crop," Christopher Hylton, the Everglades Farms public relations manager, told the Observer West yesterday.

"It's always our policy to give residents of Trelawny the first preference in employment at Long Pond Estate in whatever capacity and the recruitment of cane cutters is absolutely no different."

"So as it relates to the employment of cane cutters, the company has taken the decision to look outside of the parish after we have recruited persons from Trelawny," he explained.

Hylton said so far roughly 250 persons have been recruited.

He noted that a number of cane cutters who worked in the fields in the Trelawny area during previous crops at Long Pond, are now involved in cane cutting activities in Westmoreland, St Elizabeth and St Thomas.

" Because our crop is starting a bit late, a number of the cutters have gone to Appleton Estate, Frome and St Thomas to work, but some of them have expressed an interest to return as soon as we begin our crop," said Hylton.

He told the Observer West that Everglades Farms will be making living accommodation available for recruits who are in need.

The cane cutters, he added, will be paid a basic rate of $200 per tonne of cane reaped, but added that a number of incentives will be implemented which will enable the workers to earn as much as 50 per cent more.

The privately-owned Long Pond Sugar Factory was closed for the 2010/2011 sugar crop to facilitate a US$10 million upgrade.

The company has set itself a target of 8,000 tonnes of sugar from the crushing of 90,000 tonnes of cane for the upcoming crop.