| Barring rain, machines will move
into the cane fields today to begin Florida's sugar harvest.
The state's three major growers of cane are
expecting a slightly smaller crop this year. Freezes in December and
January, coupled with the state's four-year drought, damaged some cane and
slowed growth.
Although the drought was eased by rains that
began in spring, the harm already had been done.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts
a Florida crop of 45,000 fewer tons of sugar than last year's crop, which
topped 2 million tons. The state produces 52 percent of the nation's sugar
that comes from cane. Nationwide, the country produces about 9 million
tons of sugar from beets and cane.
"Some cane is shorter. Some fields are
more sparse than they would have been under more normal growing
conditions." said Judy Sanchez, a spokeswoman for Clewiston-based
U.S. Sugar, which begins its harvest today.
U.S. Sugar estimates it will harvest 6.95
million tons of cane this year, compared to just over 7 million tons last
year. From that, the company projects it will produce 816,333 tons of raw
sugar, compared with 829,387 tons a year ago.
Wednesday is scheduled to be the first
harvesting day for Florida Crystals Corp., based in West Palm Beach.
Florida Crystals is predicting a final outcome "similar" to last
year's 800,000 tons of raw sugar, spokesman Jorge Dominicis said.
"Maybe we could have had a better crop
if not for those events," Dominicis said of the freeze and the
drought.
And on Monday, the Florida Sugar Cane
Growers Cooperative in Belle Glade will begin its 146-day harvest of some
3.2 million tons of cane.
It forecasts a final crop of 360,701 tons of
raw sugar, down from last year's production of 395,868 tons, spokeswoman
Barbara Miedema said.
"Typically, the harvest began Nov. 1
years ago. We want to get it in early to protect it from freezes,"
Miedema said.
Rain would put the companies' harvest plans
on hold. Dry fields are necessary so that excess foliage can be burned
before the harvesting machines move in to cut stalks to ground level.
Growers are hoping domestic sugar prices
will continue to rebound.
Prices slumped to historic lows of 17 cents
a pound in the summer of 2000, partly because of a flood of foreign sugar.
Growers then exercised their option to turn
over sugar to the government rather than paying back federal loans.
In August and September 2000, Florida
growers forfeited 282,000 tons of sugar, a portion of the 1.1 million tons
handed over nationwide.
"Fundamentally, it appears the market
is poised to continue to improve," said Jim Terrill, a U.S. Sugar
Corp. executive vice president.
susan_salisbury@pbpost.com
|