Caneros Push Back Against PM; BSCFA Demands Level Playing Field

The simmering tension in the sugar industry is boiling over again, this time with the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association firing back at the Prime Minister. After PM Briceño suggested that government cannot keep stepping in to rescue the BSCFA, Chairman Alfredo Ortega is pushing a very different narrative. He argues that cane farmers aren’t in trouble because of mismanagement or failure to follow the rules. Instead, he says the real issue is the state’s own lack of enforcement. According to Ortega, farmers don’t need a bailout, they need a fair playing field and proper oversight to make sure every stakeholder in the industry follows the same standards.

 

Alfredo Ortega, Chairman, BSCFA

“I do believe the other associations have been getting their premiums. We are not getting ours, not because we have not been in compliance. We are in full compliance just as they do. The only issue is that we have been trying to negotiate a better agreement on behalf of our farmers. And because of trying to negotiate a better agreement for our farmers we have been placed in this situation right now. So it is not a bail out from the government. We have been asking them to put the necessary regulations and they have not done so. Mr. Mai tried to do so one time and it was taken to court and the government did not appeal the case again. It was a very good position and if that regulation came on board we would not have been asking anything from the government as to where we are right now. So they should not be bailing but our leaders should look at putting  in the necessary regulations so the playing field can be leveled for every player in the industry.”

 

Ortega’s message tonight: skip the bailout, enforce the rules, level the field, and let cane farmers collect their premiums without being penalized for negotiating better terms.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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