Clarendon residents hopeful as sugar factory breaks ground

Jamaica Gleaner | 2025-12-04 | Original Article

When the gates of the historic Monymusk Sugar Factory in southern Clarendon closed years ago, many residents felt an era had ended and their futures had dimmed overnight. For generations, the factory had been the lifeblood of the Vere plains — a place where farmers, cane-cutters, mechanics, drivers and clerks alike found employment and stability.

 

On Tuesday, however, hope was rekindled as ground was broken for the Tropical Sugar Company Ltd factory in Lionel Town. The US$43-million project is expected to begin operations within 18 months.

 

“Monymusk close ‘bout six years back, and it affect wi bad. No employment, no money fi go shop. It rough bad on some people. Who can survive, survive. Some even fret and dead,” said long-time resident Eric Hylton, speaking with The Gleaner after the ceremony.

 

For Hylton, sugar was not just a livelihood but a heritage. “It was the last thing on my mind that Monymusk would shut down, because mi nuh know nutten else but sugar. Mi father use to work as an overseer on the farm, and then me come inna it.”

 

He argued the factory should never have been allowed to decline. “Maybe there were some problems, we don’t know, but the authorities should’ve asked for some help to keep it going.”

 

As scores gathered opposite the old Monymusk entrance for the ground-breaking, optimism swept through the crowd. “From you see the crowd here, it shows that people want it back,” Hylton said, his voice carrying relief and anticipation.

 

For Leonard Lewis of Gayle in Lionel Town, the project represents more than another venture — it is the promise of restored dignity. Lewis, who worked at Monymusk for over two decades, said life had not been the same since its closure. “This will bring back the communities in Vere. Life rough down here but, with the sugar factory a start up, wi a see likkle light yah now,” he said.

 

He recalled the collapse of people’s livelihoods that followed Monymusk’s shutdown. “When Monymusk shut down, poverty got worse … more time wi cyaa even buy nutten. A just hand-to-mouth. Things will come back on stream now — people can get likkle work fi take care a them family better,” Lewis told The Gleaner.

 

The company’s leadership echoed that sense of renewal.

 

Chief Executive Officer Anil Jami said the warm welcome at a town hall meeting prior to the ceremony reinforced Tropical Sugar’s commitment to southern Clarendon. “We are from a sugar background and we know how sugarcane impacts the lives of farmers, the economy, and agriculture,” he said. “With that experience, we want to bring that back to Jamaica, and bring sugarcane back into Jamaicans’ lives.”

 

Jami added that the location was chosen strategically for its fertile land and irrigation potential. “A lot of potential is here, so we’re expecting this project to create direct and indirect employment and growth opportunities for the rural economy,” he said.

 

Once operational, the factory will produce brown and refined sugar, supply sugar to major beverage brands such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi, and manufacture jaggery powder, which Jami noted is gaining popularity in the United States and Europe.

 

The company also plans to use bagasse — the fibrous by-product of sugarcane — to generate renewable energy and support greenhouse operations, positioning the venture as a clean, modern agricultural hub.

 

Minister of Agriculture Floyd Green described the development as a significant step in revitalising Jamaica’s sugar sector. He noted that sugar has long been a major contributor to the country’s gross domestic product and rural employment, adding that the ground-breaking signalled renewed confidence in the industry’s future.

 

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, delivering the keynote address, said the project will restimulate economic activity across southern Clarendon. He stressed that while sugar was returning, it was not a return to the past, but rather a rebuilding with modernised infrastructure and advanced technology designed to deliver stronger, more sustainable results.

 

Looking ahead, Tropical Sugar’s Deputy Chairman Srinivasa Rao Kadem announced that, after two to three years in operation, the company will commit 10 per cent of its profits to fund scholarships for Clarendon students.

 

olivia.brown@gleanerjm.com

 

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