Quick Facts about Caribbean Sugar:

 

where is caribbean sugar produced WITHIN CARICOM?

There are 11 active plantations and mills:

  • Belize: Tower Hill, Orange Walk (Belize Sugar Industries), Santander Factory, Belmopan (Santander Sugar Group)
  • Guyana: Albion-Rose Hall, Blairmont, Uitvlugt-Wales (Guysuco)
  • Jamaica: Appleton (Gruppo Campari),  Frome (Pan Caribbean Sugar Co), Monymusk (Pan Caribbean Sugar Company), Golden Grove (Seprod), Worthy Park (Clarke Family)
  • Barbados: Portvale (Barbados Agricultural Management Company Limited)

What types of sugar do CARICOM COUNTRIES produce?

Caribbean sugar producers produce sugar which can be used for 98% of domestic and industrial use. We produce:

  • Food-grade white sugar (Plantation-White)
  • Food-grade added value brown sugars (Demerara sugars etc)
  • Food-grade brown sugar
  • Raw sugar for refining

Our food-grade sugar is sold around the region, in Europe, the US and Canada

A small number of industries require icing sugar or highly-refined white sugars.  These are used for pharmaceutical products or products which require zero coloration (e.g. clear lemonade).  Production of this sugar requires a refinery and needs to be imported from outside the Caribbean.

about our World-leading sugar expertise

The West Indies Central Sugar Cane Breeding Station Incorporated (WICSCBS Inc) is the premier center for research into and providing new varieties of cane to the western hemisphere.  The Station is an internationally recognised sugar cane breeding operation. They provide fuzz(true seed) or varieties for regional and international clients, tailoring the cross and varieties offer to meet the specific needs of the client industry. The WICSCBS Inc. is the latest incarnation of a sugarcane breeding institute that began in 1887. 

WICSCBS has well developed physical facilities to carry out sugar cane breeding to support the industries in the member countries.

The staff comprises three Senior Scientists – the Director, Plant Breeder and Geneticist; and a junior scientist responsible for Germplasm and Breeding. WICSCBS goal is to breed superior varieties of sugarcane to cater to the needs of the various member countries.

More information about WICSCBS can be found at: www.canebreedingstation.com 

The University of West Indies (and other regional universities) also have world class agronomist programs and other technical training in sugar production with programs across their St Augustine, Cave Hill and Mona Campuses.   

careers in the fast evolving sugar industry

The Caribbean sugar industry already employs over 40,000 thousand employees with up to 400,000 persons dependent on the industry either through indirect links or as family dependents.

Sugar offers a valuable long-term source of employment in rural areas where jobs are often scarce. 

There are high quality and well-paid jobs across the spectrum:

  • Skilled and Unskilled Agricultural Work (Cane-Cutters/Drivers /Machinery Operatives/ Sprayers)
  • Technicians for Mill
  • Sales and Marketing
  • Logistics
  • Research and Development (Chemists/ Agronomists /Planners)
  • Managerial

Caribbean sugar sustains a regional agricultural future for the Caribbean.  It is the backbone of the rural economy.

how CARICOM Sugar is Supplying Green energy

Caribbean sugar is already a significant supplier of energy in the region – in Belize, some 17% of the nation’s energy requirements are supplied by the sugar mills

Around the world, sugar producers supply energy to their local power grids contributing to lower energy costs and lower imports bills for the nation; giving important energy security as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

With the right regulatory environment, Caribbean sugar can be an important part of the solution to high energy prices.