All Sugar Factories Expected to be in Full Production by end of January

All sugar factories across the island are expected to be in full production by the end of January 2008, with the aim of achieving the 2007/08 target of 108,500 tons of sugar for the crop, which ends in June, 2008. Frome sugar factory in Westmoreland was the first to begin reaping cane on December 26 for the 2007/08 crop. According to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Sugar Company of Jamaica (SCJ), Dr. Richard Harrison, all the other factories should begin production some time in January 2008. The CEO was speaking at a ceremony to mark the launching of the 2007/08 sugar cane crop, held on the grounds of the Frome Sugar Factory in Westmoreland, recently. “In terms of start-up dates for the other estates, we are projecting that the latest start-up date for Monymusk should be January 24, 2008. At Bernard Lodge, we still have a major challenge in the factory, but we are projecting that this start-up date should be no later than the last third of January. For St. Thomas, we are projecting a start-up date of January 15, and for Long Pond in Trelawny, a start-up date of January 20, 2008,” he said. Dr. Harrison also pointed out that the Worthy Park and Appleton factories should begin production in early January. According to the CEO, the sugar production projection for the 2007/08 crop is slightly less than what was produced in the 2006/07 crop, because of the negative effects of Hurricane Dean in August, and the excessive rainfall in October and November.
“Last year all five divisions in the Sugar Company of Jamaica produced a total of 111,265 tons of sugar, and this was produced from 1.4 million tons of cane at an average tons cane/tons sugar (TC/TS) ratio of 12.66 tons cane to 1 ton sugar. Of that figure, Frome’s contribution was 53,729 tons of sugar, or approximately half of the SCJ’s production,” Dr. Harrison said. “For the next crop (2007/08), we are projecting a total of 108,500 tons as a bare minimum. We hope to produce this from 1.34 million tons of cane, at a TC/TS ratio of 12.36. Frome’s expected contribution to this figure is 51,250 tons of sugar,” he added.