Samuda wants Monymusk to target 500,000 tonnes of cane in the next 5 years

Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, the Hon. Karl Samuda, wants the Monymusk Sugar Estate to aim towards the production of 500,000 tonnes of cane over the next five years.
The Minister expressed this desire on Friday March 31 at the official opening of the 2016-2017 crop year at Monymusk Sugar Factory in Clarendon where he took Prime Minister Andrew Holness on a tour of the factory currently being temporarily managed by the Sugar Company of Jamaica (SCJ) Holdings Limited.
Minister Samuda expressed his belief in the resilience of sugar cane and thanked the farmers and workers for continuing the rich heritage of the industry, despite the various challenges.
The agriculture Minister said it was unlikely that the owners of Monymusk, Pan Caribbean Sugar Company Ltd., would resume management of the Monymusk factory, given their investment in the Frome factory in Westmoreland.
Meanwhile, in the main address at the official opening Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness underscored the importance of effective management as part of the essential strategy to ensure the viability of the sugar industry.
The Monymusk factory was officially opened under temporary management of (SCJ) Holdings, who entered into an interim agreement to operate factory in order to save thousands of jobs in St. Catherine and Clarendon after its owners, Pan Caribbean Sugar Company, indicated that they were not able to keep it open.
Some 655 persons are employed at Monymusk in both the field and factory operations.
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