As they prepare for the March 3 start to the 2025 sugar cane harvest, private farmers are seeking a higher cut in the price per tonne of cane they are paid.
Chairman of the Barbados Sugar Industry Limited (BSIL), Mark Sealy, said farmers were barely breaking even or operating at a loss.
“Our price was $190 approximately between 2020 and 2025 and obviously, we all know what happened between then. You had COVID, and there were some very terrible supply chain issues, which have caused significant inflation globally, not just in Barbados, but globally,” he told the Weekend Nation.
Sealy said they were not spared, with fertiliser going up by 30 to 40 per cent, weedicide by 100 per cent, diesel by 30 per cent while wages and salaries also increased.
Additionally, he said they have taken over operation of the blue bins, blue trailers and in-field tipping bins, which have put additional month maintenance costs ranging from $5 000 to $7 000 on existing operations.
‘Extra costs’
“So all of these are extra costs to us . . . . At the moment, the majority, if not all, the farmers are either breaking even or losing money at $190, and nobody really goes into business to lose money,” Sealy said.
“So we’re going to need a price increase. I think it’s very reasonable, because it’s only $20, which is a ten per cent increase.”
He said BSIL was expecting to produce about 66 000 tonnes of cane, down from 72 000 in 2024.
“Obviously this is the first year that we’ve taken over the blue bin trailers, which are from the field to the factory and also the tipping bins. I think we’ll be a lot quicker next year but we’re working on them now. I think we’ll be ready though; we’ll be ready from March 3rd.”
He added: “I know there’s some quite good canes out there. We did have some very good rain last year, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Meanwhile, technical advisor to the Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC), Dr Clyde Mascoll, said March 3 was determined to be the best time to start the crop after the annual Brix tests which determine optimum sucrose levels.
He said there were no real major issues relating to the mechanics at Portvale factory and it remained on stream for that date.
Mascoll pointed to this season’s Brix survey showing
the results of tests conducted by the BAMC’s Agronomy Research Department last December 31; and January 15 and February 10 this year.
“The Brix values indicate that the sugar cane is ripening as expected, confirming the overall progression of maturation toward industry standards. However, results observed in the high rainfall zone suggest that increased soil moisture levels, likely due to higher rainfall, may be affecting the ripening process. Further monitoring and analysis of these conditions could provide valuable insights into their impact on sugar accumulation and overall yield,” the survey concluded.
“This measure of Brix determines the sucrose content in the cane, and it varies not only by variety, but by location; that is, high, medium, low rainfall areas. So when it reaches a certain point, especially in the low, we will then typically be able to say that the cane has matured to the point where it can deliver better quality molasses and rum and the like,” Mascoll explained.
Producers under the Agricultural Business Co Ltd are expecting slightly less tonnage than last year, but Mascoll said of greater importance was their ability to satisfy demand from the local market.
“As I speak to you, we have 2 741 tonnes of sugar in stock, and that is a critical thing, because in this business you need to have sugar in stock. Therefore, we can satisfy easily the market for domestic demand [and] we are able to sell all of the molasses that we produce.”
After the first year in operation as a private entity, Mascoll said they secured better prices for the products, increased the workers’ wages and brought them on as shareholders. There have also been key lessons on farm management.
“The industry starts in the field, so the better cane you produce, the more sugar you get from the cane. The better you manage your field, the more yield you get from it. So those are the things that you focus on in a privatised environment, where you make sure that you’re doing things more cost-effectively and you’re trying to increase your productivity as you go forward,” he said. (SAT)
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