Devon Evans, Gleaner Writer
RUNAWAY BAY, St. Ann:
THE JAMAICA Association of Sugar Technologists (JAST) has repeated its demand for stakeholders of the sugar industry to be given full authority for the marketing and importation of refined (granulated) sugar.
One year after tabling a resolution in this regard, members of the association passed another at JAST's 67th annual conference at the Runaway Bay HEART Hotel in St. Ann last week.
Karl James, president of JAST, said under the present system no one is restricted from importing refined sugar. According to him, this has resulted in substantial losses in revenues from taxes.
He said investigations carried out by the association revealed that a large quantity of refined sugar was being imported without the required duty being paid.
In demanding that the importation and marketing of sugar be the sole responsibility of the sugar industry, Mr. James made reference to other sugar producing countries that have instituted similar measures in responding to shortfalls in production.
CONTROL THE QUANTITY
"We have noticed that across the world where you have a sugar industry and where there is a shortfall in production, the governments normally allow the industries to bring in that shortfall so that one, they control the quantity that comes in, which is just the amount that is required, and two, any benefit that they get from the importation goes into the industry," he explained.
Mr. James continued that the association had advised Prime Minister P.J. Patterson that such an approach would be beneficial to local industry and that it would, but to date the government had not responded favourably.
