THE EDITOR, Sir:
IT IS common knowledge that the exorbitant production cost of locally manufactured sugar is slowly annihilating the industry. It is time that some common sense be applied. I am yet to see any comprehensive analysis and resultant plan to trim the fat. If the industry is to survive, the fat has to be trimmed.
There are individual factories in the US, Australia and elsewhere which produce more sugar than the eight factories in Jamaica combined. Perhaps we should find out how many persons are employed in one of these operations. There is constant talk of the number of persons that the sugar industry supports and it is likely that therein lies the problem. Some of the world's largest corporations have trimmed the fat in order to survive.
We must ask ourselves what is the rationale behind the army employed in the production of less than 250,000 tons of sugar: The Sugar Industry Authority, Jamaica Cane Product Sales, Sugar Manufacturing Corporation, Sugar Producers Federation, Sugar Industry Research Institute, All Island Cane Farmers Assoc.
Add to that another layer of bureaucracy in the person of the Sugar Corporation of Jamaica and it should not be surprising that it costs US$0.30 cent/lb to produce sugar as opposed to US$0.10-12 cents/lb elsewhere.
Unnecessary baggage has to be jettisoned. Let us employ the meagre financial resources in the most efficient way.
I am, etc.,
VERNON MORRIS
Pennants P.O.
Clarendon
