Hugh Martin ROBERT CLARKE seldom misses any of the seminars, field days and conferences put on regularly by the Sugar Industry Research Institute, (SIRI), the Jamaica Association of Sugar Technologists (JAST) and the Sugar Industry Authority (SIA). When he's not presenting a paper he's making an intervention from the floor, more often than not in response to questions directed at him from others in the audience.
LEADER IN SUGAR PRODUCTION
There is a good reason for this respect accorded him by his colleagues in the sugar industry. He is co-owner/co-managing director of Worthy Park Estates, which has come to be recognised as the leader in sugar production in Jamaica. There are those who have claimed that Worthy Park's record of high cane yields and sucrose content is due simply to its unique geographical location. But while admitting that the estate (lying 1200 ft. above sea level and nestled between the hills above Ewarton in the valley known as the "Vale of Lluidas") enjoys a year round cooler temperature than those on the plains of St. Catherine, Clarendon and Westmoreland, Robert will point out that the soils are not as rich and that the water so necessary for cane growth is dependent on an uncertain rainfall pattern.
"There's no magic to it," he has said time and time again in reference to Worthy Park's success. "It is simply going back to the basics. Doing things right. Preparing the land properly, planting the right varieties, filling the gaps whenever they occur; controlling the weeds at the right time -- in other words, good management."
Perhaps there is an added advantage to owner management. Worthy Park has been in the Clarke family since 1918 and has done well throughout the 86 years of operation. The name was patented in 1670 after the land was given to one Lieutenant Francis Price for his services to Oliver Cromwell during the English capture of Jamaica in 1665. Since then it has changed hands only twice and has always been in sugar production. It ceased rum production in 1948 but is now in the process of building a distillery to re-enter that activity.
A BREATHTAKING BEAUTY
The road from Ewarton to Lluidas Vale is a winding, unremarkable, indeed boring climb until you reach the top and begin the turn for the descent. And then it hits you -- a breathtaking, heart-stopping burst of beauty down in that valley. Once you get a glimpse of Worthy Park you are hooked for life. The sheer
beauty of the place holds you captive and it is no wonder that the management plan for the future includes its development as a tourism attraction.
There is absolutely nothing more beautiful than a well laid out farm with plants in varying stages of growth and development. When I first visited Worthy Park back in 1963 citrus was a major crop and cattle-rearing an important activity. In fact, Worthy Park was famous for its Jamaica Brahman herd. The information provided indicates that Worthy Park has doubled its cane production from 50,000 tonnes in 1990 to an estimated 101,000 tonnes in 2004. All of the valley lands are used up in cane production except for a small area in broiler chicken production. I believe this area was previously used for the feedlot operation.
To demonstrate its confidence in the sugar industry it has leased land in Bog Walk and is seeking new lands for further expansion. While other factories are taking from ten and a half to thirteen tonnes of cane to produce a ton of sugar Worthy Park consistently uses only eight to nine tonnes of cane. This translates to greater profits to the estate and to the farmers who supply it.
Worthy Park exemplifies the best in sugar production and is constantly raising the bar. The other estates are taking up the challenge and the sugar cane industry is poised for the recovery it has longed to achieve.
Hugh Martin is a communication specialist and farm broadcaster
who may be reached at humar@cwjamaica.com.
