Date: Sun 12-Jun-1994
Paper Page: 14A
Publication: Sunday Sun
Byline: Victor Hinkson

BARBADOS may have experienced its worst drought for 148 years. And even if the rainfall is extremely favourable for the rest of 1994, a poor sugar crop is inevitable next year.

This is forecast by the Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC) which said: "The severe drought will affect next year's sugar crop adversely. Even those not well acquainted with growing canes can see the desperate plight of most of our cane fields.

"In some cases, the cane has actually died, and in most fields the dry and brown shoots greatly outnumber the healthy green ones. Where the ravages of fire have been added to the drought, there is nothing growing back at all."

The BAMC's analysis of rainfall records since they were started in 1847, indicated "it was certainly one of the worst droughts on record".

An executive told the SUNDAY SUN: "The BAMC, the Ministry of Agriculture and independent farmers are doing everything possible to ameliorate the bad situation. In particular as much `forcing back' and `supplying' as possible will be carried out during the month of June, now that some rain haas fallen."

He concluded: "Although the forecast for the 1995 crop does not bode well, the same rainfall index calculation shows a success story. This is that the production for 1994 exceeded expectations."

The executive explained that although the rainfall index for the 1994 crop was lower than for 1993, the production was greater. It was encouraging and a tribute both to the new management of the indebted farms and factories and to an improved morale and determination on the part of the independent farmers.