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The Sugar Association of the Caribbean (SAC) is making its first headquarters relocation in nearly a century, shifting operations from Trinidad to Barbados. According to Barbados Today, SAC chairman Mac McLachlan announced the move at the organization’s 178th Board of Directors meeting, held at the Radisson Aquatica Resort. The decision marks a significant moment for the regional trade body, which was founded in the 1930s to represent sugar manufacturers across the Caribbean.
The relocation carries symbolic weight for Barbados, which established the English Caribbean’s earliest successful commercial sugar industry nearly four centuries ago. By moving its headquarters to the island, the SAC positions itself in the same jurisdiction as its most valuable asset: the West Indies Central Sugarcane Breeding Station, a world-renowned facility the organization has owned since 1962. McLachlan emphasized that this co-location makes practical sense, as the breeding station represents the organization’s core resource and competitive advantage in the region.
The West Indies Central Sugarcane Breeding Station has deep roots in Caribbean agricultural history. According to the source, the facility traces its origins to sugar cane breeding work that began in Barbados in 1888 under renowned agronomist John Redman Bovell. Formally established in 1932 under the Department of Agriculture, it was subsequently managed by the SAC’s precursor organization, the West Indies Sugar Association. The station develops cane varieties suited to member countries’ needs and supplies seed for local testing and selection.
McLachlan noted that Trinidad, which was the original basis for the SAC’s establishment, has since exited sugar production. Today, only Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, and Guyana continue to produce sugar in the region, and these nations remain committed to the industry’s future. The SAC chairman stated that the move reflects recognition of this shift in the Caribbean’s sugar landscape and positions the organization to support Barbados’s efforts to improve sugar efficiency and productivity.
The relocation decision received endorsement from Caribbean Community (CARICOM) trade ministers, who recognized the SAC as a valuable regional contributor. McLachlan indicated that the headquarters move was among the primary items discussed at the recent board meeting, signaling its importance to the organization’s strategic direction.
The Sugar Association of the Caribbean was founded in the 1930s and has historically coordinated regional sugar exports and represented producers in international trade arrangements. Previously known as the West Indies Sugar Association, it represents sugar manufacturers in Barbados, Belize, Guyana, and Jamaica. The organization has operated from Trinidad since its establishment, but that island has since ceased sugar production.
This relocation underscores the shifting dynamics of Caribbean sugar production and the region’s ongoing commitment to the industry despite decades of decline. For Barbados and other sugar-producing nations in the Caribbean, the move signals renewed focus on agricultural productivity and regional cooperation. The West Indies Central Sugarcane Breeding Station, now co-located with SAC headquarters, remains a critical resource for Caribbean sugar farmers seeking to maintain competitiveness in global markets.
Sources and attribution
- Barbados Today
- About Us – WICSCBS – Cane Breeding Station
- Full text of "Colonial Office Annual Report on Barbados 1947; 1950 and 1951; 1952 and 1953; 1954 and 1955; 1956 & 1957; 1958 and 1959; 1960 and 1961; 1962 and 1963"
- CARICOM Sugar – a limping Industry
- About CARICOM Sugar
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