EDITORIAL REVIEW REQUIRED — EXPRESS DRAFT. This is an unpublished draft. Some claims may be unconfirmed. Check dates, sources, claims, photographs, and video rights before publishing.
Barbados stands at a crossroads in its sugar industry, with regional producers offering concrete support to help the island pivot toward higher-value white sugar refining. According to Barbados Today, leaders of the Sugar Association of the Caribbean gathered at the Radisson Aquatica Resort to discuss how Caribbean nations can capture more economic value from their sugar sectors.
Mac McLachlan, chairman of the Sugar Association of the Caribbean, told reporters that investors are actively seeking opportunities to fund white sugar production across the region, a departure from the Caribbean’s traditional focus on brown or Demerara sugar. Belize has already begun this transition, having invested heavily in refining capacity over the past decade. The company Caribbean Sugar Refineries of Belize confirmed its readiness to share expertise with Barbados, offering guidance on everything from white sugar production techniques to milling and farming practices.
The timing appears strategic. McLachlan emphasized that regional trade protections—including the Treaty of Chaguaramas and the Common External Tariff—create favorable conditions for domestic refineries. He noted that for the first time in generations, CARICOM sugar demand could be met by regionally-produced refined products, reversing a long pattern of exporting raw sugar to Europe and elsewhere for processing. This shift would allow Caribbean nations to retain the added value that refinement creates, strengthening both industry viability and regional food security.
Barbados’s sugar industry, managed through the cooperative Barbados Energy and Sugar Company (BESCO), is already receiving support from the Sugar Association and Belize’s producers. According to the report, this assistance includes advice on mill efficiency, field management, and broader strategic planning. McLachlan indicated that both the Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture are supportive of these development efforts.
Beyond refined sugar, the industry is also exploring other revenue streams. Molasses—a critical byproduct for rum producers like Barbados—remains economically important, while sugar production also yields green energy and carbon reduction benefits. The Sugar Association is working with CARICOM trade ministers to establish monitoring mechanisms that will track sugar flows into the region and match them against local production capacity, ensuring coordinated investment decisions across the bloc.
The Caribbean sugar industry has historically exported raw or minimally processed sugar to refineries in Europe and other external markets, limiting the economic returns to producing nations. Regional trade agreements like the Treaty of Chaguaramas and the Common External Tariff create protected markets within CARICOM, making regional refining investment more economically viable. Belize has led the way in this transition, investing approximately US$500 million over the past decade in white sugar production capacity.
This development directly affects Barbados and other CARICOM sugar-producing nations seeking to strengthen their agricultural sectors and retain more economic value from sugar production. The shift toward regional refining also supports broader Caribbean goals of food security, energy independence, and stable livelihoods for sugar workers and farming communities across the region.
Sources and attribution
- Barbados Today
- Press Release(26)32 – Various sugar related articles.pdf
- Food supply chain investments: a new beginning for Caribbean …
- [PDF] Belize and Guyana Sugar Refinery Projects
CVCA Express Draft: verification pending; WordPress publication is manual.