Reviving the British Caribbean sugar industry
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
1. Discuss three problems plaguing the British Caribbean sugar industry by the 1850s.
2. Assess three measures introduced to revive the British Caribbean sugar industry by the 1850s.
THE AILING BRITISH CARIBBEAN INDUSTRY IN THE 19TH CENTURY
The British Caribbean planters faced several problems that led to them being unable to produce sugar competitively. Sugar in these territories was produced inefficiently. These inefficiencies were influenced by: a) The high costs of production. b) Absenteeism. c) Lack of mechanisation. d) Poor sugar soils (in the mountainous Windwards).
e) Inadequate large arable lands. The decline in sugar production in the Windwards and Jamaica began prior to 1850.
THE REASONS FOR THIS INCLUDED:
1. SUGAR DUTIES EQUALISATION ACT (1846)
Duties on all sugar being imported into Britain was equalised over a four-year period. Prior to this, foreign (non-British) territories had to pay a high duty percentage on sugar being sent to Britain. This new Act, however, would gradually reduce the duty, making their sugar even cheaper. The result was that British Caribbean planters could not successfully compete against these cheap producers.
2. COMPETITION FROM CHEAP SUGAR PRODUCERS
Cuba, Brazil, Louisiana and Mauritius were places that were able to produce sugar at a cheaper cost. They were considered as low-cost producers. They had several advantages that allowed them to produce at a cheap cost. They had the following advantages: a) large areas of flat arable land, b) they had undergone mechanisation. These countries introduced steam engines, vacuum pans, centrifuges in large centralised factories and, c) slave labour – such as in the case of Cuba and Brazil that had slaves up to the late 19th century. This efficiency resulted in Cuba, for example, substantially increasing its sugar production. Cuba, in 1859-1860, produced 348,157 tonnes of sugar, while the entire British Caribbean produced 198,600. For the period 1894-1895, Cuba produced 1,054,214 tonnes of sugar, while the entire British Caribbean produced 260,211 tonnes.
3. COMPETITION FROM BEET SUGAR
Europe was able to produce its own type of sugar (beet) at a cheap cost. The introduction of beet sugar made Europe less dependent on British Caribbean sugar.
MEASURES TAKEN TO REVIVE THE BRITISH CARIBBEAN SUGAR INDUSTRY
Even with the mounting problems faced by British Caribbean planters, they still attempted to save the sugar industry. Some of these measures included:
1. Amalgamation –There was the merger of several estates to reduce production costs. This was primarily utilised in Trinidad and British Guiana.
2. Wage reductions – To reduce their overall costs, planters reduced the pay of workers. This practice was utilised in smaller territories where land was unavailable to blacks.
3. Loans – From 1848 onwards, the British Parliament provided planters with loans to mechanise and assist with immigration schemes. Generally, islands such as Barbados, Trinidad and British Guiana made the most of this, but Jamaica did not readily take up the offer.
4. New markets – With added competition from cheaper foreign sugar producers and beet producer, British Caribbean planters had to find new markets to sell their sugar. These markets included the USA and Canada.