KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Audley Shaw says that steps will be taken to stop the illegal import of sugar, coffee and other commodities.

“Right now, we have a stockpile of 32,000 tonnes of locally manufactured sugar that cannot be sold because of the illegal importation of white sugar. Some of it is being coloured with molasses to (give it an appearance) of brown sugar,” he said.

“If we do not protect our local industry we have nothing,” he argued.

The minister was addressing farmers from across the island at the 123rd annual general meeting of the Jamaica Agricultural Society at the Denbigh showground in May Pen, Clarendon, on Wednesday.

The Sugar Industry Authority (SIA) in an advisory issued in June reminded the public that it is against the law to import raw brown sugar or export brown sugar without first obtaining a licence from the Authority.

The SIA explained that brown and refined sugar for direct consumption should only be sold in heat-sealed packages, pre-packed by re-packers registered by the National Compliance and Regulatory Authority.