Growth & Jobs | US$50-million sugar factory in Clarendon to generate 2,000 jobs

PRIME MINISTER Dr Andrew Holness has welcomed a US$50-million investment by Tropical Sugar Company Limited (TSCL)to re-establish commercial-scale sugar production in Clarendon.

The new state-of-the-art, vertically integrated facility, with an installed capacity of 50,000 metric tons, will be situatedin Chesterfield, near to the former Monymusk Estate.

Construction is set to begin in January 2026 and is expected to be completed within approximately 18 months.

The factory will be built on approximately 11,000 acres of former sugar lands leased from Sugar Company of Jamaica Holdings (SCJH) Limited, and is expected to generate roughly 2,000 direct and indirect jobs, providing new opportunities to farmers, heavy-equipment operators, factory workers, transport providers and small business owners.

Speaking at the December 2 ceremony to break ground for the project, Dr Holness hailed the decision by the Indian investors to put into production a portion of the almost 50,000 acres of unutilised and underutilised former sugar lands owned by the SCJH Limited in Clarendon.

He said the project will improve the economic standing of residents in the area, noting that communities that once blossomed under sugar will be revitalised.

The prime minister said that the Government has been looking at ways to simulate economic activity in the area “so, when the opportunity came for an investment in sugar, in agriculture, we took it, but we were very clear that we are not about to return to the old sugar industry”.

“We want the modern sugar industry, one that is vertically integrated, one that is going to process the value in the sugar cane and get as much value out of it before you export it,” he pointed out.

The prime minister said the investors had indicated that TSCL will have the capability to produce brown and white sugar, jaggery and molasses, use bagasse for energy, and process sugar for other byproducts and derivatives.

He noted that the company has also purchased land for agro-processing and industrial operations, reflecting their intention for long-term investment.

Chief executive officer of TSCL, Anil Jami, said that the ground-breaking is the culmination of a two-year journey to bring back sugar to Jamaica.

He expressed confidence that the project will bring “great benefit” to the residents of the area and the country’s agriculture sector.

“We relentlessly worked on how to bring that dream into reality … and it is definitely a good opportunity for the locals and, of course, for the national economy of Jamaica, because we are going to create a lot of employment,” he said.

Jami informed that the company will produce its own power for irrigation purposes and plans to introduce unique products like jaggery powder from Jamaica… which can be exported to the United States and many European countries to increase foreign revenue.

High Commissioner of India to Jamaica, Mayank Joshi, in his remarks, said that the project represents a “powerful convergence of heritage, technology, investment, and shared vision for India and Jamaica”.

He said it is a testament to what can be achieved “when global partners, local farmers, communities, and government work together with a purpose” and gave India’s commitment to deepen cooperation as the project takes shape.