Ethanol From Sugar Cane – Caribbean Style

The Caribbean islands are often viewed by North Americans as a pleasant place to escape from the grasp of winter. What many don’t realize is that the islands have been a source of wealth for centuries-and that there is a source of wealth waiting for today’s savvy investor.

Columbus arrived in search of gold. European planters arrived in search of agricultural land. The islands truly came into their own when sugar cane developed as their primary crop. That was the real gold, as real as the gold that covers the ceilings of British aristocracy’s homes. That gold was paid for from the proceeds of sugar, rum and molasses. Was it profitable? My graduate research at Bettie’s Hope Estate in Antigua revealed 18th century documents that proved the profitability of the islands for sugar cane production. In one year alone, Bettie’s Hope delivered a profit of over one million pounds at the end of the eighteenth century. This is a fortune by any century’s standards and this was only one plantation on one island.

Sugar cane agriculture died out in the islands soon after World War II when sugar beets became a cheaper source of sugar for world markets. Many of the islands now have acres of land lying in scrub brush where sugar cane used to grow. The land is primarily owned by governments who bought out the planters when they abandoned the islands for more lucrative investments.