A very sour problem
published: Wednesday | April 16, 2003
THE EDITOR, Sir:
I HAVE noticed in the last few weeks there have been a number of articles in The Gleaner proclaiming the shortage of cane-cutters at Frome and Worthy Park. This is, in fact, a problem throughout the industry.
Why is this? This is because the cane that we have in Jamaica has too light a fibre content, is too wizened and bent up, its circumference, diameter and density are far too small and its population per acre is far too sparse.
This has resulted in a cane cutter unable to pay his children's school fees or to send his wife to the market.
If this was remedied, whereby cane grown in Jamaica looked and grew and had the density of that in Australia, Florida and South America instead of growers not being able to find cane cutters, the urban drift would be reversed as cutters hunted down the growers for the now valuable work they have to offer.
