Jamaica’s agriculture minister has said that one of the country’s oldest sugar factories is soon to close, resulting in the loss of more than 200 jobs.

The state-owned Hampden factory in the northwestern parish of Trelawny will not reopen for the next sugar harvest, which is set to begin later this month, Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke told parliament.

The Hampden factory, which began operations in 1909, lost J$450m (US$9m) last year. The plant’s sugar cane milling will be absorbed by the nearby Long Pond factory. Some of the laid-off workers will be taken on by the Long Pond factory, while the others are to receive compensation, reported Reuters.

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