Barbados’ 2026 sugar cane harvest is expected to begin within days, with the government moving to ensure factories and equipment are primed for the start of the crop season, Minister of Agriculture Dr Shantal Munro‑Knight confirmed on Friday.
Speaking to reporters after the official opening of Agrofest, the national agricultural exhibition, at Queen’s Park, the minister said preparations were advancing and an official date in early March would be announced shortly.
“Within another week and a half, we will be officially starting the sugar crop, and that is something that I will be focusing on,” she said. “The crop will be starting early March but we will make an official announcement on the date very, very soon.”
Dr Munro‑Knight indicated that operational checks were already under way, including a visit to the Portvale Factory to ensure readiness ahead of the first cane deliveries.
“I’m actually touring Portvale Factory today just to make sure that we are absolutely ready to go,” she said.
While the imminent start of the crop dominates the immediate agenda, the minister portrayed this year’s harvest within a broader push to modernise agriculture. Drawing on themes showcased at Agrofest, she stressed the need to build a resilient and innovative production system.
“How we make sure that we have a solid foundation for innovation in agriculture is something that I am particularly focused on and passionate about,” Munro‑Knight said.
At the same time, she cautioned against abandoning long‑standing farming practices in pursuit of technology alone.
“I speak about innovation. I speak about technology, but it’s also a balance to be had. I’m also deeply appreciative of traditional knowledge, and how we are able to find that balance so that we then are able to build a full agricultural value chain that brings together those two elements that are going to be important,” she added.
Her comments follow statements earlier this week from Barbados Sugar Industry Limited (BSIL), whose cane farmers declared themselves ready to begin cutting once the signal is given.
“We are ready for the start of crop,” BSIL chairman Mark Sealy told Barbados TODAY. “I think everybody’s working hard. Obviously last year was the first year that we had all the various equipment, so we were a little bit late last year, but this year I think everybody’s far more prepared.”
The BSIL represents the remaining members of the traditional planter class in an industry spanning almost 400 years. The sector evolved from enslaved labour for most of its history to a free peasantry tied to plantations and later to unionised workers in mills and fields in what is now a largely mechanised operation. Today, no canes are cut by hand.
The farmers have concentrated on operational readiness in the absence of a confirmed start date, Sealy said.
“They’re working on insurance, making sure all the trailers and the tipping bins are all maintained and ready, making sure all the harvesters are ready, so when the start is called I think we’ll be very ready.”
Cane farmers under the BSIL umbrella are expected to produce about 66 000 tonnes of cane this year, according to Sealy.
(SZB)
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