NORMAN GRINDLEY/DEPUTY CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Operations at the Bernard Lodge sugar factory in St. Catherine came to a halt yesterday after workers and field men took industrial action, seeking the removal of a senior farm manager.
Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter
A PRELIMINARY report carried out by the Sugar Industry Research Institute (SIRI) has put the blame for the delay in milling at the government-run sugar factories on the shoulders of the Sugar Company of Jamaica (SCJ) and the local company with responsibility for the maintenance of equipment at the sugar factories.
Ambassador Derrick Heaven, executive director of the Sugar Industry Authority (SIA), made the disclosure of the findings yesterday at the All Island Cane Farmers Association meeting in Kingston.
Heaven had directed the SIRI to do the investigations, following a request by the association to have an inquiry done to determine the true performance of
the factories.
He explained that the rollers used for the grinding of cane were not repaired because of mechanical problems occurring at the company but at the same time SCJ was negligent in not sending off the rollers in time.
MECHANICAL PROBLEMS
Ambassador Heaven said: "The factory (the company) admits that for a six-week period they had mechanical problems but there is clear evidence, however, that the time lapse between when the (sugar) factories cease to operate last year and when those critical parts were sent to the factory (the company) and indeed when the purchase order was given for the work to be done seem to be a very long time."
He added: "The report that we have received has not given an explanation for the time lag between six of the seven factories certainly finishing by July and some of the rollers reaching the factory October, November."
But the findings of the report conflicts with what the SCJ had said in a recent statement issued to the media where it said that the delay was caused by problems at a company, which provides equipment to the factories.
Ambassador Heaven said that the delay in milling at the factories have had severe impact on the sector with the industry to date showing a shortfall of 25,000 tonnes of sugar in comparison to the previous year.
When contacted by The Gleaner, Livingstone Morrison, president and chief executive officer at the SCJ, refused to comment on the findings of SIRI. He said, "I have not seen the report as yet. So, I can't comment on it."
