You need JavaScript to view this

Molasses crisis in the Puerto Rico rum industry

Abstract

In 1978 the Puerto Rico rum industry provided 85% of the US rum market, returning to the PR treasury $200 million in Federal excise taxes. The diminishing P.R. sugar industry is not able to supply sufficient blackstrap molasses (BSM) to the expanding P.R. rum industry, and at present imports from foreign suppliers amount to 88% of its needs. These imports place the rum industry in jeopardy, as these suppliers can boycott Puerto Rico to protect their own rum production, or they can insist by treaty that all rums claiming geographic origin (i.e., Puerto Rico rum) must be distilled from molasses produced in that country. Possible solutions to improve domestic molasses production are presented to eliminate these threats. The use of high-test molasses (HTM) would answer the present and future needs of the rum industry if produced by the energy cane (or biomass) concept. This is a management concept stressing total growth potential rather than sugar. It would permit doubling cane production per acre and produce sufficient HTM on 70,000 acres for the projected rum industry requirements. Considerations of HTM production show that problems exist with the marketing price rather than in the field or factory. The economics of HTM pricing  More>>
Authors:
Publication Date:
Jan 01, 1980
Product Type:
Conference
Report Number:
CEER-B-104; CONF-801185-
Reference Number:
ERA-07-029379; EDB-82-069947
Resource Relation:
Conference: Symposium on fuels and feedstocks from tropical biomass, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 24 Nov 1980; Related Information: In: Fuels and feedstocks from tropical biomass.
Subject:
09 BIOMASS FUELS; MOLASSES; PRODUCTION; STORAGE; TRANSPORT; BEVERAGE INDUSTRY; BIOMASS; ETHANOL; PUERTO RICO; SUGAR CANE; SUGAR INDUSTRY; TAXES; ALCOHOLS; ENERGY SOURCES; GRAMINEAE; GRASS; GREATER ANTILLES; HYDROXY COMPOUNDS; INDUSTRY; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; PLANTS; RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES; 140504* - Solar Energy Conversion- Biomass Production & Conversion- (-1989); 090222 - Alcohol Fuels- Preparation from Wastes or Biomass- (1976-1989)
OSTI ID:
8450563
Research Organizations:
Agricultural Research Associates, Winter Park, FL
Country of Origin:
Puerto Rico
Language:
English
Other Identifying Numbers:
Other: ON: DE82901172
Availability:
NTIS (US Sales Only), PC A16/MF A01.
Submitting Site:
TIC
Size:
Pages: XX.1-XX.11
Announcement Date:
Apr 01, 1982

Citation Formats

Samuels, G. Molasses crisis in the Puerto Rico rum industry. Puerto Rico: N. p., 1980. Web.
Samuels, G. Molasses crisis in the Puerto Rico rum industry. Puerto Rico.
Samuels, G. 1980. "Molasses crisis in the Puerto Rico rum industry." Puerto Rico.
@misc{etde_8450563,
title = {Molasses crisis in the Puerto Rico rum industry}
author = {Samuels, G}
abstractNote = {In 1978 the Puerto Rico rum industry provided 85% of the US rum market, returning to the PR treasury $200 million in Federal excise taxes. The diminishing P.R. sugar industry is not able to supply sufficient blackstrap molasses (BSM) to the expanding P.R. rum industry, and at present imports from foreign suppliers amount to 88% of its needs. These imports place the rum industry in jeopardy, as these suppliers can boycott Puerto Rico to protect their own rum production, or they can insist by treaty that all rums claiming geographic origin (i.e., Puerto Rico rum) must be distilled from molasses produced in that country. Possible solutions to improve domestic molasses production are presented to eliminate these threats. The use of high-test molasses (HTM) would answer the present and future needs of the rum industry if produced by the energy cane (or biomass) concept. This is a management concept stressing total growth potential rather than sugar. It would permit doubling cane production per acre and produce sufficient HTM on 70,000 acres for the projected rum industry requirements. Considerations of HTM production show that problems exist with the marketing price rather than in the field or factory. The economics of HTM pricing will have to be worked out by the interested parties: the rum industry, the sugar industry, and the government.}
place = {Puerto Rico}
year = {1980}
month = {Jan}
}