KINGSTON, Jamaica – Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Pearnel Charles Jr says Jamaica’s sugar industry must be modernised in order to meet the demands of today’s society.

Speaking at the Jamaica Association of Sugar Technologists’ 85th annual conference in Mandeville on Thursday, Charles Jr said that “if we want a stronger, more developed Jamaica, it cannot be business as usual [and] it cannot just be rhetoric and using conversations that we have heard [before]. We have to drive the modernisation of the sugar industry; it is an imperative”.

He suggested several actions required to “move the industry forward”, such as a full review of the Sugar Industry Authority (SIA) for relevance and currency, noting that a reorganisation of the SIA is needed to realign the operations of the entity with current industry realities.

Furthermore, the operational efficiency of the sugar industry must also be increased, especially with the infusion of technology, in tandem with the Ministry’s ‘Grow Smart, Eat Smart’ campaign, said the minister.

He also noted that a secure source of funding is critical to this modernisation process and that the Government will support the SIA’s effort in this regard.

In addition, Charles Jr called for a multi-product sugar industry as he pointed out that for “too long” the local sugar industry has been reliant on returns from the export of raw sugar as the main source of revenue, and, therefore, vulnerable to the impact of falling world sugar prices and the vagaries of the local sugar market.

“If we are to ‘Grow Smart’ and ‘Eat Smart’, diversification into different commercially viable products is a necessary risk mitigation and revenue-generation mechanism that will reduce the industry’s reliance on raw-sugar production and enhance its robustness,” he said.

He suggested the production of ethanol; refined, plantation white, specialty and Jamaica-branded sugar offerings; innovative polyphenol-based biodegradable plastic products, waxes, gums and other products as viable options for expansion.

“So, the creation of this multi-product industry will not only increase the revenue streams but also enhance the prospects of the Government achieving its renewable energy sources and environmental impact goals as well as contributing significantly to the achievement of our overall food security objectives,” he said.