Jamaica Gleaner

Reviving the British Caribbean sugar industry

- Debbion Hyman CONTRIBUTO­R Debbion Hyman is an independen­t contributo­r. Send comments to kerryann.hepburn@gleanerjm.com.

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 the following: 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 countries 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: a) Large areas of flat, arable land. b) Undergone mechanisat­ion. These countries introduced steam engines, vacuum pans, centrifuge­s in large, centralise­d factories.

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. For example, Cuba, in 1859-1860 produced 34,8157 tonnes of sugar, while the entire British Caribbean produced 19,8600. For the period 18941895, Cuba produced 1,054214 tonnes of sugar, while the entire British Caribbean produced 26,0211 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, countries 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.

 ?? Lionel Rookwood/Photograph­er ?? Knox College’s Schools’ Challenge Quiz team.
Lionel Rookwood/Photograph­er Knox College’s Schools’ Challenge Quiz team.

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