Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Portuguese introduced sugar plantations in the 1550s off the coast of their Brazilian settlement colony at Engenho dos Erasmos. This location sat on the island of Sao Vincente and marked the beginning of a massive economic shift.
Barbados became the sugar capital of the Caribbean and the rum capital of the world after Colonel James Drax visited Dutch Brazil in 1640. By 1706, laws against Jews owning sugar plantations in Barbados were dropped and the colony remained the richest of all European colonies for about 100 years.
Nevis was nearly deforested during the mid-17th century as much of the topsoil quality deteriorated from a large influx of plantations. This resulted in water pollution and ecological losses that were seen on various different scales across the region.
In 1832, the median-size plantation in Jamaica had about 150 slaves. Nearly one of every four bondsmen lived on units that had at least 250 slaves.
The West India Interest formed in the 1740s when British merchants joined with West Indian sugar planters. This organization emerged as part of the broader economic shift catalyzed by the plantation system throughout the Caribbean.