~~Adz:Right~~Basseterre, St. Kitts (October 27, 2006): Possible links between a proposed unrefined sugar industry and the tourism industry were highlighted by Senior Projects Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture Mr. Keith Phillip.
The Senior Projects Officer was accompanying Walter Jaffe, Manager of Innovaciones Alimentarias INNOVAL of Venezuela as he was completing his investigation into the prospects for the unrefined sugar industry in St. Kitts. The consultant concluded that St. Kitts has very good prospects.
Mr. Phillip outlined the next possible phase following Mr. Jaffe's report. He said he anticipated that the Ministry of Agriculture would develop a pilot project to test and manage the innovation and encourage small farmers to become entrepreneurs. He noted that in discussion with Mr. Jaffe he saw the potential in the domestic market particularly in the tourism sector in terms of gift food-packages. The fact that it was an organic product would add to its value, Phillip said.
According to Mr. Phillip, while attending an FAO meeting in Venezuela, the Minister of Agriculture, Honourable Cedric Liburd first came across the product and considered its potential in the Federation's market. The Senior Project Officer said that with the assistance of the Inter-American Institute of Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA), his ministry was able to have Mr. Jaffe come to the Federation to do his investigation.
~~Adz:Left~~Mr. Jaffe explained that whereas muscovado and molasses are byproducts of refined sugar, the process that he was referring to, was actually concentrated cane juice.
The consultant also agreed with Mr. Phillip that that type of sugar has prospects in the tourism industry. He said that it can be first marketed to the hotels and can be used in producing traditional candy and dried fruit. Mr. Jaffe further elaborated that the granulated form can be a substitute for refined sugar and can be used as a sweetener for locally made drinks.
The unrefined sugar, the consultant said, does not need the specific detailed production of refined sugar but can be created with simple equipment as a mill to extract the cane juice, stainless steel or copper equipment to clean, heat and evaporate the juice.
