Letters

How to save the sugar industry

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The changes that are needed to save the sugar industry from collapse have been well researched and well documented and everyone in the industry is aware of what is to be done. Ambassador Derrick Heaven constantly reminds us that all the studies on co-generation, sugar refinery, distillery and ethanol production have been completed and only require implementation.

We have but one option, diversification or extinction. With the massive subsidies, the farmers in developed countries receive and economies of scale, no matter how efficiently we make our factories and fields, we cannot compete; W.T.O. or not we cannot make sugar to compete.

Mr. McConnell of Worthy Park tells us that the last time he was in Australia they were closing down factories making less than 100,000 tonnes per crop. The best any single factory here can do is 56,000 tonnes. We need to move away from sugar manufacturing as our core business. All the consultants from Australia, Mauritius, Cuba and South Africa have told us we need to implement co-generation, especially as a first option. The high end of the business is in the above options, not sugar.

I am, etc.,

MARK CLARKE

Westmoreland