CHAIRMAN of the West End Cane Farmers’ Association, Astill Sangster warned that there will be a serious shortfall in sugar production at Frome next crop if the replanting programme does not get under way soon.

More than eight weeks into the 2001-2002 crop, the replanting of cane is yet to start, as the cane farmers have been unable to procure fertiliser from their regular supplier, Antilles Chemical Company.

In a recent press release, Sangster called on the chairman of the All-Island Cane Farmers’ Association, Abijah Buchanan, to convene an urgent meeting of the management committee with a view to addressing this problem.

“The fields from which the canes have been reaped after eight weeks are now in need of fertiliser; if this is not applied immediately, it will mean a serious short-fall in yield for next year’s sugar crop,” said Sangster.

Meanwhile, Sangster said the projected 67,000 tons of sugar expected to be produced at the factory would not be realised as a result of the 12 per cent fall in overall production. The chairman charged that his members could lose thousands of tons of cane because of the poor performance of the factory.