Sugar sources

“A Courier Farming Matters article by Pete Small recalled the sugar beet factory at Cupar, the main storage silo of which has been a major feature of the central Fife skyline since the 1960s,” emails a shipping source from Montrose. “I seem to remember shipments of raw cane sugar being discharged at Dundee harbour on a number of occasions in the early 1950s.”

“In May, 1953 the Spanish-flag, Bilbao-registered Monte Ayala, brought a cargo from Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, followed later that same month by the Salawati from Queensland, Australia with the same foodstuff. The raw sugar was then transported by rail across the Tay to Cupar to fill the gaps in between the locally-grown production.

“I think a shipment also arrived from Port Louis in Mauritius, while the name Dalesman, one of T& J Harris ons of Liverpool‘ trade sand professions’ freighters, brought raw sugar in from Havana.

“The thought of that shipment seems to ring a bell regarding Harold Wilson’s trade deal of exchanging Leyland buses for Cuban sugar in the form of a barter deal with the government of that Caribbean island. The Soviets of that time called it ‘counter trading.’

“During the same period there was also sugar unloaded at Dundee from coasters such as Atomicity, Festivity, Scarcity, Turgail and Magrix shipped from ports like Hull.

“This would presumably have been refined product possibly for Keiller’s confectionery business.

“At Montrose Chivers & Sons Ltd. imported sugar from Poland in the mid1950s when in July, 1954 the West German coaster Pelikan brought a part cargo of 200 tons from Gdansk, the remainder of the 450-ton cargo being bound for Dundee. This consignment was described at the time as the first cargo of any kind from Poland to the Angus port since long before the war.”