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And according to the Minister of Agriculture, the future for sugar is the elimination of child labour for sure, but to go along with that, the industry must also minimize adult labour.  Godwin Hulse today told us that Santander is having great success with mechanized cane farming, and there's much to be said for that model:…

Hon. Godwin Hulse - Minister of Agriculture
"If you take a parallel out of Santander, they came on the scene, they don't have small farmers to deal with, they are dealing with a couple big farmers but their yields are fantastic and that is because they have put in what is required. I think this will happen in north as well and I think the associations have understood clearly that there is no point in trying to fight the factory, they're in it together, it is one team and government act as a facilitator."

Jules Vasquez
"Santander's model rely on mechanized means of production. Is the era for the man with the machete, is that era finished?"

Hon. Godwin Hulse
"Not quite but as you know BSI/ASR are also have engaged a lot of the farmers in a new harvesting program and they are catching on and they like it because they are also saying that is part of the way to go. I don't think the man with the machete is done though because as you know there has always been an issue of these delated canes. When they bill it's a small little piece and every end staff has to ferment, a longer end you have more, so I don't think the era of the man with the machete is dead but it is a matter of size. If you have a large farm then clearly you can't have a machete. You have a small farm then you still have the machete, I don't think he's dead."