KINGSTON, Jamaica - It is quite possible that in less than a decade from now, raw Caribbean sugar will cease to enter the European market. If as seems likely this happens, it will bring to an end not just the preferential arrangements that Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) sugar producers have enjoyed since 1975, but also a trade that for evil and good has played a central role in the making of the Caribbean and its ties with Europe.
Although in recent years there have been seismic shifts in the way in which the industry is organised, present developments in Europe create a new challenge for the industry's viability, just as it is emerging from the shadow of preference and seeking new approaches to its organisation and marketing.
News of the likely end of the EU market for Caribbean sugar first emerged in a European Commission report prosaically titled 'Prospects for Agricultural Markets and Income in the EU 2012-2022'.