Erica James-King, Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
THERE ARE charges of an underground market in brown sugar, which might be contributing to the poor quality of the sugar reaching some bakeries.
The charges have come from the sole distributor of brown sugar, Jamaica Cane Products Sales (JCPS).
Bagging machines and even sugar bags have been stolen from some factories. The JCPS and other major players in the sector believe that these stolen items are in the hands of persons in the underground trade who are selling sugar illegally.
"Everybody in Jamaica knows there is an underground sugar trade," stated Karl James, head of JCPS. "We have schemers in the system, and reports are that sometimes when bulk sugar is being transported, it is dropped off in canefields where unscrupulous people are waiting to pick it up. They later bag it and sell it to customers. When the sugar passes into the hands of these people it could be contaminated."
He said that the exercise to prevent pilferage of the sugar from the factories, as well as the stealing that goes on when the sugar is being transported from one location to another was daily.
Although The Sunday Gleaner made repeated attempts to get data on the "unaccounted-for sugar" during some of the last crops in the island, we were told that the search for that data was still going on, and that the person who was asked to locate them was not in office.
However, Mr. James said that there have been cases where persons have been arrested and taken before the court for stealing and selling sugar.
He is therefore warning people in the food manufacturing industry and other consumers, to be careful of the people from whom they purchase sugar, as they might be unwittingly fuelling the illegal sugar trade.
Meanwhile, the managers of several sugar estates have reported that they have noticed imported brown sugar on the shelves at supermarkets, even though JCPS which is responsible for the sale and distribution of brown sugar had not been importing the commodity.
The JCPS has confirmed "seeing some imported sugar packaged in bags and even in boxes, on supermarket shelves".
Speculation is rife in the industry that some of the problems the food industry is having with the brown sugar may also be linked to the use of brown sugar from overseas, which has slipped into the island, unnoticed by the authorities.
Under the Sugar Industry Control Act of 1937, the Sugar Industry Authority (SIA) is responsible for general policy and regulation in the sector.
But the SIA is rejecting claims that imported brown sugar is available on shelves in the island.
In a written response to inquiries from The Sunday Gleaner, the SIA stated, "The SIA, which is the sole entity that can import brown sugar, has not granted licences to any organisation or individual to import brown sugar."
