Unless the sugar industry in Caricom can develop in the coming months a co-ordinated and concerted plan of action, it is quite possible that in a few years’ time there will be little left of an industry which, for evil and good, has played a central role in the making of the Caribbean.
This is because this year will see two tsunami-like events occur, both of which threaten the survival of the industry in its present form. The first relates to the changes that will take place this October in the EU’s sugar regime. Then, as a long planned domestic measure, the EU will abolish national sugar production quotas in Europe. This will have the effect of reducing the price paid for ACP sugar, while also causing the overall volume of EU sugar imports to fall as Europe becomes self-sufficient.
