Sugar harvest ends with calls for greater efficiency

The 2025 sugar harvest has ended with private cane farmers producing around 96 000 tonnes of cane, but industry leaders urged both field workers and the island’s sole sugar factory to address key inefficiencies before next year’s crop.

Declaring that the overall process went “reasonably” well, Mark Sealy, chairman of Barbados Sugar Industry Limited (BSIL), the grouping of private farmers, said he was pleased that “all in all, things went pretty well”.

But he identified several areas in which the sole sugar factory – Portvale – and the field workers need to improve to make next year’s crop even better.

“I think there are areas that we can improve; obviously, there are many areas we can improve in the field, and also can be improved at the factory level. I think it is important that both sides meet, in order to discuss those and continuously improve,” Sealy told Barbados TODAY on Friday afternoon.

“I think the farmers need to be more efficient in terms of getting the cane in. Start cutting early. Of course, there is always the husbandry aspect. You keep the fields clean. I think better can be done there. From the factory side, I think the turnaround time for the trucks when they get to the factory . . . that was something that was pointed out by truckers and farmers. We would like to discuss that kind of thing. It is important to always accept there are areas that need improvement from both sides, and work closely together and try and improve.”

As the crop ended on Wednesday, Sealy said: “The total industry finished around 96 000 tonnes of cane, which is not bad. So, all in all, I think it went reasonably well. It was the first time the farmers had the tipping bins and the blue trailer bins. It went reasonably well for the first year, because we have learnt some lessons, and we are going to have a meeting to go through how we can improve the next crop. But all in all I think it went pretty well.”

Minister of Agriculture Indar Weir said it was too early for him to comment.

Sealy could not provide the exact comparative figure for cane production last year, and said predictions for 2026 will be difficult at this stage.

“It all depends on the rainfall that we get coming up now,” the BSIL chair said. “And then, of course, the acres of cane the farmers have planted over, say, 18 months ago. But I see no reason why we shouldn’t have a reasonably good crop compared to this one.”

Despite the early challenges experienced this year by the cooperative-owned Portvale sugar factory, it still performed creditably, Sealy declared.

“It was tough as it is,” he said. “Every crop for any factory which has been lying down for eight or nine months, or whatever, when it starts back, there are always teething problems. Of course, in the first couple of weeks it was a bit tough for the factory, but all in all after that, it performed particularly well.” 

Sealy, who has been constantly advocating for an early start to the crop – around February 15 – is again highlighting its importance.

He said: “We all know it’s no fault of the factory. A factory has to have some time to settle down; and if you start at the end of February, it takes two weeks to settle down . . . and even though we had 66 days of deliveries, which is approximately 11 weeks of deliveries, which is reasonable . . . I think that is what the factory projected, the challenge is when you start to get into the end. You know we had some rain in May and then it went a little bit into June. At the end of May we had some rain, and that causes problems, because sometimes you have to stop for rain, and then there is the whole issue of compaction in the fields.”

He complained that the combination of a wet field and compaction of the ground affects future crops.

Sealy stressed: “We always like to start around February 15. That would give a little time for the factory to iron out the kinks. And I want to make it clear, we are going to have a chat with our farmers that we need to get far more efficient in getting the cane in more quickly, and that means cutting earlier, and making sure that all of our bins are all licensed, because we own those now . . . and making sure that the truckers are there early and hopefully we can discuss that with the factory to see if they can start receiving canes a bit earlier.”

He acknowledged that it costs the factory money to run more weeks than it wants to and that farmers need to assist in this regard.

Sealy then turned his attention to the issue of pay for the private farmers, describing the process as being up to date despite “a couple of weeks outstanding which I am sure will be paid”.

“The payments have been very good this year,” the BSIL chair said. “The factory lets us know when we will be paid, and all the money is now transferred, and there is no need to collect cheques and that’s much more efficient. Our next payment will be due July 31, and then the final payment will be September 30. We are happy with how the payments were paid, and we are looking forward to July and September.”

Co-op Energy assumed control of the sugar industry sectors formerly managed by the state-owned Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC) on December 19, 2023. The transition, including the establishment of Agricultural Business Company (ABC) Ltd and Barbados Energy and Sugar Company (BESCO) Ltd, was completed on March 24, 2024, with actual sugar operations under their control commencing on January 15, 2024. Co-op Energy holds a 55 per cent equity stake in both ABC Ltd and BESCO Ltd, which oversee the sugar industry’s farmland and Portvale sugar factory, respectively. 

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb