Opportunity exists for research-based diversification of sugarcane industry

Dear Editor,

The agronomic health of the Guyana sugar industry has over the years been substantively sustained by applied research through the investment made by the industry itself in technical personnel and relevant facilities.
The development and sustainability of modern agriculture in general is a strong function of the application of up-to-date scientific knowledge and techniques to many aspects of production and productivity.
Although agricultural research in our sugar industry even with its limited internal funding for research has been ongoing over the years, in nutrition (through fertilizer experimentation), plant protection and agricultural mechanization, to name three of the major areas, varietal breeding and selection in its essentially traditional form, has remained the most cost-effective mode of sustaining cane yields and productivity. I refrain from positing that significant incremental improvement in yields in commercial terms has resulted from these research efforts, for the reason that inevitably other factors would have played a role in confounding (in statistical terms) the positive effects of varietal succession. The record production levels in excess of 375,000 metric tons attained in the seventies were in part due to the substantive contribution from a range of cane farmers consolidated with the record harvested estate acreages as well as to relatively efficient factory performance.

Cane Breeding and Selection work in Guyana, as in Jamaica, Belize and the Dominican Republic is carried out in conjunction with the Barbados located West Indies Central Cane Breeding Station. The WICCBS as it is known has been giving attention to the inclusion in its cane breeding and selection programme atypical cane varieties that are high fibre and fast growing, in keeping with strategic product diversification goals. Such selected and developed varieties will be suitable for processing of biofuels, fibre boards as well as cane rind uses.
In recent times, in anticipation of future environmental regulations, toothbrush manufacturing technology has been initiated and extended to the utilization of biodegradable material to reduce the impact made on waste disposal management of the enormous volume of discarded plastic toothbrushes, the safe and effective treatment of which has to be catered for universally in ever increasing volumes. Already there are industries in the Asian and Middle East countries that are increasing the growing of bamboo for use in toothbrush production as well as other widely used disposable appurtenances. With oral hygiene generally regarded a human necessity coupled with increasing trends towards environmental friendly options, a potential market with worldwide possibilities clearly exists for a biodegradable choice.
Although at this stage I would not propose the introduction of bamboo in Guyana as an alternative crop, for the reason that high-fibre specialized cane offers a clear substitute, the development of which I earlier alluded is already engaging the attention of the WICCBS, from which additional propagation material may be sourced to meet regional needs.

It goes without saying that the suggested development of fibre cane will be complementary to the continued development of the ongoing or intended main products of cane and its other by-products. The diversification options for raw sugar cane derivatives and other processed by-products have been adequately dilated by several writers and I have been previously involved in identified crop or land use diversification activities. Only a relatively small proportion of the substantive cane cultivation would need to be utilized or set aside for this cane product development, based on projected markets for whatever product form is required. It may be pointed out that depending on the existing circumstances the prior development of a specialized fibre cane may not be needed at all for a start-up project, unless attaining optimum efficiency of the developing product mix will ultimately require such undertaking. The advantage that a non-primary sugar processing project offers is that reaping of cane for such purposes could be an all-year-round activity.

The manufacturing technology for the regular plastic toothbrush is well developed at the level of standard mass production, and has been transferred to some developing countries with accommodating markets. It is conceivable that there will be advantageous cost benefits for bamboo toothbrush manufacturing to be located at the source of its main component, provided the general market share it can command in this region enables an economic scale of production, in the context of tax and environmental provisions and penalties that may apply to its competition.

The success of such a novel venture in Guyana will be largely dependent on the transfer of the developed technology, economy of scale, and the measurable advantage to the quality of the environment in this part of the world ultimately.
It should be pointed out that the technology of cane separation into its components for potential and commercial use is not new, in the Caribbean least of all. There was some developmental work pioneered in Barbados in the sixties and seventies that I observed from being part of the Sugar Association of the Caribbean Technologists’ Committee. The Cubans out of necessity, from early lack of timber from depleted forests, went about the commercial development from cane residues for synthesizing fibre boards and paneling for floor, wall and ceiling installations to meet their need for internal building works and furniture fabrication. Samples of small tiles of varying densities brought back from Cuba in the eighties were kept in my office for many years.

An alternative strategy for Guyana’s consideration, rather than essaying full biodegradable toothbrush fabrication, is focusing on extracting from the cane just the cane rind, or for that matter the bio-renewable component of the toothbrush, for export to a main toothbrush manufacturing enterprise in another part of say the western hemisphere. This course of action will still provide for utilization throughout the year in Guyana of every element of the fibre cane for economic purposes, compared with essentially seasonal sugar production and its other by-products from the rest of the cane cultivation.

Accessing funding from International Agencies for the development and commercial production at competitive costs of such a product will necessarily be a strong function of the scope and volume of the market in competition with the plastic product in this part of the world, and the contribution it would make to the health of the environment and its management from the point of view of reducing plastic cleanup.
Even with minimal use and conservative replacement frequency the estimated annual demand for toothbrushes from current world population could be in excess of seven billion units requiring mass production technology to maintain supplies to cater for increasing demand in a modern world. There is certainly no shortage of synthetic material resources and production capability needed to meet this ever increasing demand, but despite advances in disposal and management techniques the persistence of plastic and plastic residues in the environment will continue to pose a threat to the biosphere.

In the context of toothbrush manufacturing, further R&D work will be required to fabricate a product that matches the existing plastic version in mechanical flexibility, durability and other user friendly features, but already some Asian countries are producing toothbrushes with handles made from bamboo and other biodegradable material. There is no doubt that environment-driven considerations are influencing the trends towards the replacement of chemically synthesized plastics with plant-based materials for the popular utilized drinking straws for example, and such other disposable utensils. I remember as far back as 1992 at the Rotary International Convention in Melbourne Australia, I and my wife were served a main meal at a conference restaurant presented on a plate molded and cast from a rice flour blend and completely edible after, obviating the need after for its collection and mass disposal with other garbage. Even at that time and at that forum sensitivity to environmental concerns were being demonstrated with exemplary creativity.

With current annual world toothbrush usage estimated to be in excess of seven billion conservatively, the conversion of incremental, even small, percentages of this market to the biodegradable option, is an attractive proposition, with the potential to rapidly increase as specific production technology advances.
The use of bamboo and cane rind for toothbrush handles has the advantage in mechanical flexibility over the short fibre soft woods as a fast-growing renewable material source. However further R&D work may be needed to refine and adapt its desirable attributes to mass production technology.
Surely part of the revenue accrued from a major successful toothbrush production enterprise can contribute towards funding pertinent research and development initiatives in biodegradable options for the benefit of environmental wholesomeness.

Yours truly,
Fritz C. McLean
Former GuySuCo Director and Diversification Specialist of SPU