Newly appointed Minister of Agriculture Dr Shantal Munro-Knight has pledged to urgently address the deepening challenges facing the troubled sugar industry, as uncertainty continues to swirl around the start of the 2026 crop and the readiness of the island’s sole operating mill.
Her commitment comes just a week after a Barbados TODAY investigation revealed fresh doubts about the upcoming harvest, amid conflicting reports from industry stakeholders and mounting evidence that Portvale Factory is not yet prepared to receive canes.
Planters represented by the Barbados Sugar Industries Ltd (BSIL) had urged that the sugar harvest begin in mid-February. But the Sugar Industry Staff Association (SISA), which represents mill workers, and an industry source who was close to the developments, told Barbados TODAY that Portvale Factory—the island’s lone mill—would not be up and running this month, casting further uncertainty over the country’s oldest industry.
The state of the industry became a talking point during the general election campaign. Kemar Stuart, political leader of the New National Party (NNP), part of the People’s Coalition for Progress (PCP), accused the government of failing to fully disclose the financial and operational realities of the industry.
Democratic Labour Party (DLP) shadow minister of agriculture Amoy Gilding-Bourne described the industry as being “in limbo” following the reported collapse of a key partnership arrangement with the cooperative tapped to run the industry.
“The long and short of it is that we’re just… in limbo,” she said. “We have been told that there is no longer a memorandum of understanding. So we’re left with more questions than answers.”
Gilding-Bourne also pointed to uncertainty surrounding the ownership and control of the two cooperative-run firms created during the 2023 restructuring—Barbados Energy and Sugar Company (BESCO) and Agricultural Business Company Ltd (ABC).
Against that backdrop, Dr Munro-Knight signalled a consultative and fact-finding approach as her immediate priority.
Speaking to Barbados TODAY on the sidelines of Monday’s swearing-in ceremony for Members of Parliament at CARIFESTA House, the minister said her “first order of business” would be to meet with key stakeholders across agriculture.
She said: “First part of business for me is really just to meet with the key stakeholders in agriculture. I mean, we have really big work to be able to lift up. There’s a lot of work to be done.”
She added that she must first get “up to speed” on the completed Estimates and the upcoming Budget process to understand the current state of the industry fully.
“People have already been coming up to me requesting meetings, so that’s my first thing…to be able to meet, to listen and to hear.”
While the traditional start date for the sugar cane crop is near, Dr Munro-Knight stressed that any announcement would only follow consultations with industry players.
“Once I’m able to meet with the stakeholders, make sure that we identify any challenges and come to a consensus, for sure, that will be one of my first key orders of business in terms of deliverables,” she said.
Clarity on the 2026 crop may hinge on the outcome of those early engagements, as the government seeks to steady an industry that remains important to the island’s cultural and economic heritage but continues to grapple with operational and structural uncertainty.
The post New sugar minister vows urgent action amid crop uncertainty appeared first on Barbados Today.
