Sugar production estimated at 620,000 tons

The central statistical office in Port Louis has announced that sugar production will reach 620,000 mt this year as compared to 569,289 mt in 2000 and 373,294 mt in 1999, reports said on Tuesday. It said better climatic conditions last year resulted in an increase of 31.6 percent in the production of cane: 5,109,500 mt in 2000 as compared to 3,882,597 mt in 1999. The office added that following the diversification programme and the conversion of tea plots into sugar cane plantation, the area under tea plantation stood at 670 hectares in 2000 as compared to 3,000 hectares in 1999. “Because of excessive rainfall in certain regions where tea is cultivated, production of green tea leaves for 2000 was lower by 9.7 percent: 6,440 mt as against 7,134 mt in 1999,” it noted. Production of black tea dropped by 10.9 percent from 1,473 mt in 1999 to 1,313 mt in 2000.