APPLETON, St Elizabeth -The Appleton Sugar Factory is undergoing a $100-million rehabilitation programme in preparation for the start of the 2009/2010 sugar crop, which is expected to begin in December.

The disclosure was made by Paul Henriques – the managing director, production at J Wray and Nephew Ltd – while on a tour of the Appleton Estate in St Elizabeth on Tuesday.

Several other officials of the Estate, including Ian Maxwell, the chief executive officer J Wray and Nephew, agricultural division; Joyce Spence, general manager technical services; Alty McKenzie, the environment, health and safety manager; and Greta Bouges, corporate affairs manager were also on the tour, designed to update the Observer West on the Estate’s efficient production systems, as well as its safety and environment operations.

Henriques said the bulk of the funds will carry out repairs to the mill rollers, centrifugal baskets and overhaul the bagasse carrier system, as well as replace a mill drive turbine.

Last crop, the Appleton Sugar Factory- considered to be the most efficient of the island’s five sugar processing plants- produced roughly 31,800 tonnes of sugar from the milling of 318,000 tonnes of cane.

“That year (2008/2009) was a record year for us in terms of sugar production. It is the highest among ever produced,” Maxwell told the Observer West.

He noted, however, that the factory’s supply of canes during the crop was boosted by the crushing of several hundred tonnes of canes from the Sugar Company of Jamaica – owned Frome estate in Westmoreland.

Meanwhile, Maxwell said that Appleton plans to manufacture 28,000 tonnes of sugar during the upcoming crop from the processing of roughly 280,000 tonnes of canes.

The estate employs roughly 500 persons during the crop season and pumps several million dollars monthly in the local economy.