(Jamaica Observer) The Sugar Association of the Caribbean (SAC) in its latest crop data report said out of season rain has adversely affected the 2016/17 reaping period for sugar and has delayed production in Jamaica and Guyana.
However, SAC said it expects both countries to finish reaping by the end of July and should have more favourable results for the remainder of the crop.
The members of the SAC are Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados and Belize and the most recent data covers production for the month of May.
During that month, Caribbean sugar industries produced a total of 30,345 tonnes led by Belize with 20,643 tonnes, followed by Guyana with 5,305 tonnes and Jamaica with 4,487 tonnes.
The SAC reported that Barbados has already completed its production for the 2016-17 crop with 10,500 tonnes.
At the end of May, the cumulative regional production for the 2016/17 crop was 275,000 tonnes, with total exports at 260,524 tonnes.
Guyana has two crops and therefore for the period August 2016 to May 2017, it recorded the most exports totalling 147,484 tonnes, followed by Belize with 84,179 tonnes and Jamaica, 28,861 tonnes, the SAC noted.
The association said the breakdown of the export figures for the current crop shows 197,513 tonnes in bulk and 14,828 tonnes in bags to the European Union (EU), for a combined total of 212,340 tonnes to that market.
Comparatively, SAC members exported 22,387 tonnes to the United States under its quota allocation, while 25,472 tonnes was shipped to CARICOM markets.
