Sheep Slowly Making its way on to Belizean Plates

It’s been almost a decade since the Sheep and Goat Project was introduced in Belize by the Republic of China, Taiwan and Belize’s Ministry of Agriculture with the goal of expanding the sheep and goat industry and the project is still going strong. The sheep industry, while not comparable to Belize’s cattle industry in terms of consumption has displayed growth since the inception of the project and is still working its way up in numbers. In tonight’s episode of Belize on Reel, we take you to the Central Farm Agricultural Station in Cayo, where we learned why this project was implemented in Belize and how it has impacted the industry. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with that story.

 

Britney Gordon, reporting

How many sheep do you think are in Belize currently? One thousand? Five thousand? Or perhaps a hundred thousand? In 2015, a head count indicated that there were ten thousand sheep officially in the country. And now, almost a decade later, that number has almost doubled to eighteen thousand sheep. At the Central Farm Agricultural Station, in Cayo, this small but important industry is thriving. And while lamb may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a meal in Belize, for many farmers, their livelihoods depend on it. Elder Quewell, Field Manager of the Belize Sheep and Goat Project, tells us how the team has been working to get the industry going in the country.

 

                            Elder Quewell

Elder Quewell, Field Manager

“The main objective is basically to provide farmers with pure bred sheep and goat so that they can improve their stocks.”

 

 

 

Britney Gordon

“So it’s to diversify the stocks that they have and have it be better quality. How has this affected the sheep industry in Belize?”

 

Elder Quewell

“It has for example, it has increased the consumption, for example, from the starting point of the industry It was, consumption was zero point two nine and has incremented to one pound presently consumption of this. And it is continuing to expand as people get familiarized with the with the sheep.”

 

 

The consumption rate of sheep in Belize has tripled from zero point two nine pounds to one pound per person. But this change has occurred over a timespan of almost a decade. Quewell says that while the project is succeeding in growing the industry, he hopes that farmers would be able to access more opportunities as the industry continues to expand.

 

Britney Gordon

“Have you seen success in this project? Do people know about it? Are you seeing improvements in the breeds that people have?”

 

Elder Quewell

“Yes, there are improvements, however there has to be more opportunities given to the farmers as well, right? Because if they are able to produce good quality, they also need to provide a doorway so that they can have access to market.”

 

 

 

Britney Gordon

“Do you anticipate this project will continue to grow? What’s the future looking like for this project?”

 

Elder Quewell

“From my perception I can see that people here in Belize are starting to familiarize with the consumption, right? And there is where the demand starts. So I’m thinking that if we put the initiative and we put more focus into what is the ship, then that will be part of what will be more expansion.”

 

 

 

Aside from the sale of pure-bred sheep and goats, the team also assists farmers to better their stock through training sessions on how to prepare the feed for the animals, vaccinate and tag them and even how to properly prepare the meat in various dishes such as curry lamb. The preparation of this dish is taught to Belizeans across the country. The funding for this project came from the Republic of China, Taiwan, that has been a partner in this initiative since its inception in 2015. Next year, the Taiwanese government will be moving on to fund a different project.  Benjamin Ma, a Sheep Project Specialist, tells us that giving Belize’s Sheep industry the opportunity to grow has been an important endeavor.

 

                             Benjamin Ma

Benjamin Ma, Sheep Project Specialist

The Taiwan government is mostly funding this project and provide new technical to the sheep project. And I think mostly we are doing the breeding program more, because in Belize we don’t have the pure breed much so win this farm we provide one hundred percent pure. Three breeds, Katahdin, BBB, and the other Dorper.”

 

 

To ensure that the farmers have access to high quality sheep, the animals must be well taken care of. And for farmhand Misael Gonzalez, the wellbeing of these animals is a primary concern. He explains how the sheep are fed, vaccinated, groomed and loved by the workers.

 

                          Misael Gonzalez

Misael Gonzalez, Farmhand

“In the morning when we come here and take a walk to check the barn, see if any animal is good, any animal is injured or something. And then we get the feed, which is here, grass, which we go harvest outside. So we get the feed and we start feeding in the morning before that. Then we check the water trough, the water from them, see if it is clean or it needs clean. If it’s dirty, we wash it and we clean it and everything. And then we milk the babies because they can’t drink from their mom or something. We milk them and that’s all. We just take care of the rest.”

 

The job includes a list of responsibilities, however, Gonzalez says that being able to bond with the animals and help Belizean farmers gain access to quality sheep make the job fulfilling.

 

Britney Gordon

“Do you enjoy doing your job?

 

Misael Gonzalez

“Yeah, I enjoy it when I’m giving milk. Like the babies, they follow you and things like that. I just enjoy working here.”

 

Britney Gordon

“So why do you think that this job is important?”

 

 

 

 

Misael Gonzalez

“This job is important because we help other farmers to get better breeds, to get better sheep. Let’s say if they want, they don’t have a type of breed, we can sell them and give it to them so they get better breeds and things.”

 

The industry still has a long way to go, nonetheless, it is on the way to becoming an integral part of Belize’s agriculture industry. Britney Gordon for News Five.

Hugh O’Brien Says Sugar Industry Commission of Inquiry “Going Quite Well” 

Commission of Inquiry Begins Investigation into Belize’s Sugar Industry

The Commission of Inquiry into Belize’s sugar cane industry, established by Prime Minister John Briceño on March 19, held its first meeting on May 29. The Commission, led by Chairman Wayne Piper and commissioners from Belize, Mauritius, South Africa, and the UK, aims to examine the industry’s entire value chain and provide recommendations to the government. The initial meeting outlined plans for visits to sugar mills and production sites across Belize, with commissioners arriving in early June. The Commission’s proceedings will not be public, but updates will be provided through the Lead Coordinator, Hugh O’Brien. The final report is expected by November 30, 2024.

BSI Expresses Concerns Over Commission’s Focus

In a press release dated June 4th, Belize Sugar Industries Limited (BSI) expressed support for the Commission’s role in advising on industry modernization. However, BSI also expressed concern. Its primary concern is sharing proprietary information due to competitive pressures. BSI stated it would not cooperate if the Commission’s focus shifts to negotiating a new commercial agreement, which they consider a private matter. BSI says it is open to discussing reforms to industry regulations and participating in efforts to improve mill efficiency and cane yields in northern Belize.

 BSCFA Calls for Public Inquiry and Cooperation

The Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) later issued its press release on June 6th. BSCFA says that it welcomed the commencement of the Commission’s work, viewing it as long overdue since the last inquiry in 1969. The BSCFA emphasised the importance of this investigation for the sugar industry and urged the Commission to hold public meetings. The BSCFA expressed concern over BSI/ASR’s position on sharing sensitive information with the Commission.

Lead Coordinator, Hugh O’Brien, says Inquiry Going Quite Well 

On June 13th, News Five’s Marion Ali caught up with Hugh O’Brien, the Lead Coordinator for the inquiry in Orange Walk Town. When asked how the inquiry is going, O’Brien said, “The inquiry to, in my view so far is going quite well. The ambience between the people that the commissioners have met, particularly, we’ve sat down. We spent a day and a half with BSI.  That went extremely well. BSI was very, very open. They shared their information that they had with them and various components of the factory  and how the factory operates and their overall program and their views for the industry in terms of what they see is needed for Belize from their perspective. And then the tour of the factory with BSI went extremely well. And then following that the second day they did a tour of field activities, BSI’s operations at the field level, their farms and the services that they are with a view from their perspective that they have in mind. That they can contribute towards helping to modernize the industry in Belize.”

When asked about the commissioners’ views, O’Brien said, “they are calling me because currently they are meeting with the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association at the SIRDI office in Buena Vista and the commissioners also yesterday did a complete, they receive a presentation from Santander which have a very different structure and they’ve toured the Santander factory and they also had a complete tour of the Santander fields of sugar cane. So, they’re getting a good view and a good handle of, of what is occurring in Belize? Previous to that, they had presentations from the staff at the Sugar Industrial Research and Development Institute. They had a presentation and discussion with the sugarcane production committee because the way sugar is delivered in the north is very different than the west and is a very intricate system in the north because of the large number of small farmers and people battling to try to get their sugar into the factory.”

When asked about the concerns raised by BSI, O’Brien said, “The commission has never changed its focus.  The terms of reference of the commission of inquiry was drafted and there were concerns that BSI raised. That’s when I kind of got involved and the prime minister asked me to, and I said, we’ve had discussion with BSI. They sent back recommendations from their standpoint and we made adjustments to the terms of reference, but we never gave in to what BSI wanted.”

O’Brien said that the commissioners will now create a list of specific items that they want from the two factories.

Interview with Hafiz Muminjanov on FAO’s Coconut Initiative in Belize

The FAO’s One Country, One Priority Product (OCOP) Initiative has launched its inception workshop to begin a project aimed at enhancing Belize’s coconut value chain. This global initiative will produce a comprehensive value chain analysis and a three-year development plan for Belize’s coconut sector.

The workshop included over 110 stakeholders, discussing project implementation and regional and national priorities for OCOP. To date, around USD 15 million has been mobilized to support 54 countries. In Belize, activities involve creating a national task force and a collaborative work plan with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise.

To get a better understanding of the project, News Five spoke with Hafiz Muminjanov, OCOP Global Coordinator, OCOP Secretariat, Plant Production and Protection Division, FAO.

1. What is the objective of the FAO One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) Initiative?

  • FAO has developed the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative to build more sustainable food value chains of Special Agricultural Products (SAPs), which was globally launched on 7 September 2021.  Special Agricultural Products (SAPs) are agricultural products with unique qualities and special characteristics associated with geographical locations, farming practices and cultural heritages. Compared to staple food crops, SAPs have not yet fully benefited from agricultural and rural development programmes.
  • The FAO OCOP initiative aims to enhance food security, livelihoods, environmental sustainability, and income generation for rural populations through the sustainable development of SAP’s value chains, from sustainable production to storage, processing and marketing.
  • The initiative supports countries in the transition to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems. OCOP is not an initiative that promotes monocropping production systems but focuses on diversification, unlocking the untapped potential of agricultural products, and identifying and addressing gaps in the value chain. 

2. How is the OCOP initiative funded, and what is its total budget?

  • The implementation of the OCOP initiative started with the formulation of the Global Action Plan and application guidance for the countries and the conducting of a series of training sessions.
  • The activities in the field began with the implementation of the global project funded by FAO Flexible Voluntary Contributions (FVC) in 2022, starting in five demonstration countries in five FAO regions – Bangladesh, Egypt, Malawi, Uzbekistan and Trinidad and Tobago. Further funding was received from various sources, including a trust fund project supported by JICA in Ghana, the FAO-China South-South Cooperation (SSC) Programme, FVC, and allocations from the FAO Regular Programme. Regional and national projects funded by the FAO Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) have also supported the initiative.

As of 1 June 2024, about USD 18 million has been received to support the implementation of OCOP in 60 countries.

National Coconut Stakeholders Seminar and Market Fair 2023

3. Can you name the countries participating in the global project and their selected Special Agricultural Products (SAPs)?

  • To date, 85 Members from all five FAO Regions – Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Near East and North Africa – have expressed strong interest in promoting the sustainable development of the value chains of 54 Special Agricultural Products (SAPs), including 28 horticultural and 15 field crops, 6 livestock products and 5 forest products.
  • From the Region of Latin America and the Caribbean, 14 countries are promoting 12 SAPS. The countries and SAPs include:
    • Bahamas: Poultry
    • Belize: Coconut
    • Bolivia: Quinoa 
    • Chile: Honey
    • Colombia: Sugarcane
    • Ecuador: Cocoa
    • Guatemala: Coffee
    • Jamaica: Ginger
    • Mexico: Amaranth 
    • Nicaragua: Low-Carbon Livestock Production
    • Panama: Coffee
    • Peru: Potato
    • Trinidad and Tobago: Cocoa
    • Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela: Coffee

For more information, please visit the OCOP global website which is in all six official UN languages https://www.fao.org/one-country-one-priority-product/about/special-agricultural-products-(saps)/en

4. How does the OCOP initiative contribute to the development of smallholders and family farms?

  • OCOP promotes diverse and integrated food systems, creating sustainable development and market opportunities for small-scale farmers. It places smallholders and family farms at the center of its efforts, using their unique strengths.
  • OCOP provides tailored support to countries to strengthen the value chain of their SAPs opening doors to regional and international markets.

5. What are the activities planned for Belize under the regional OCOP, and who are the key partners involved?

  • The promotion of OCOP in Belize will be supported in the framework of the new project funded by the FAO Flexible Voluntary Contribution (FVC) mechanism.
  • The project with a total budget of USD 1 million will be implemented from 01 March 2024 to 31 December 2025. The project will cover 11 countries from all FAO regions located in the tropics, drylands, mountainous zones as well as the Small Island Developing States.
  • This global project aims to expand the implementation of the OCOP initiative on a global scale. .
  • In the project framework, Belize will promote coconut as the SAP. The key activities in Belize include establishing OCOP technical networks, capacity development of farmers and stakeholders, conducting the value chain analysis  and upgrading national strategy on coconut sector. The project will also establish the mechanism for coordination and communication – such as national task force and will raise awareness among a wide range of stakeholders.
  • The OCOP global partners include UNIDO, UNODC, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, etc.
  • The key National Taskforce Partners in Belize is likely to include the Ministry of Agriculture Food Security and Enterprise (MAFSE), Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI), Sugar Industry Research and Development Institute (SIRDI), University of Belize (UB), International Trade Center (ITC), Financial Institutions, Processors, Exporters, Cooperatives/Associations.
National Coconut Stakeholders Seminar and Market Fair 2023

6. What were some of the highlights discussed during the inception workshop held on April 3, 2024?

  • OCOP is inherently country-owned and country-led, tailoring strategies to each country’s specific needs, priorities, and comparative advantages.
  • Customizing approaches to fit unique contexts is paramount for effective implementation, focusing on establishing technical networks, enabling environments, and coordination mechanisms.
  • Project countries show great potential to promote the synergies between OCOP and other initiatives, programmes and projects at FAO and beyond. 

Notably, six project countries are engaged in the FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative and five in the Digital Village Initiative.

7. How many participants attended the inception workshop, and what was its main purpose?

  • Over 110 participants attended the virtual inception workshop of the project, where the project objectives and implementation modalities were discussed, challenges shared and priorities for the OCOP initiative at regional and national levels defined. The overall objective of the project is to improve food security, livelihoods, environmental sustainability, and income for rural populations through the sustainable development of special agricultural product value chains. 

8. Can you list some of the challenges and priorities discussed during the workshop regarding the implementation of the OCOP initiative?

 This included strengthening financial, technical, and human resources at the global, regional, and country levels; engaging a wide range of stakeholders to support activities at the country and field levels; and monitoring and facilitating OCOP projects.

Mexico and Belize Collaborate to Enhance Sanitary Protocols for Certified Cattle Importation

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is aiding Central American nations by sharing advanced techniques and technologies to bolster their agricultural, livestock, aquaculture, and fisheries sectors.

To facilitate the safe importation of cattle from Belize to Mexico for immediate slaughter and terminal fattening, thereby strengthening the domestic industry’s raw material supply, the agriculture ministries of both countries are developing a sanitary control mechanism. This mechanism aims to ensure the cattle are free from pests and diseases of quarantine significance.

Currently, Mexico imports around five thousand certified cattle annually from Orange Walk County, Belize, under an existing import protocol validated by the Central American health authority.

The updated protocol seeks to include more certified producers from Belize. These producers must demonstrate through clinical tests that their cattle are free from bovine tuberculosis (Tb), brucellosis (Br), and ticks and pass a sanitary inspection conducted by Mexican veterinarians.

In a meeting with Belize’s Minister of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise, José Abelardo Mai, and the Belizean ambassador to Mexico, Oscar Lorenzo Arnold, Javier Calderón Elizalde, head director of the National Agro-alimentary Health, Safety, and Quality Service, highlighted the shared cultural ties, friendship, and sanitary challenges between the two nations, noting that pests do not respect borders.

Elizalde emphasised that Senasica’s mission is to protect agri-food production and facilitate the trade of healthy and safe products for national supply, building bridges rather than closing borders.

Agriculture supports small and medium-scale producers in Central America by sharing techniques and technologies that enhance their agricultural, livestock, aquaculture, and fisheries development.

The meeting also addressed the cattle screwworm threat in Panama and Costa Rica, which poses a risk to regional livestock. Health authorities are urged to collaborate and allocate resources to prevent the insect’s northward spread. Mexico has proposed a pest eradication plan to the International Regional Organisation for Plant and Animal Health (OIRSA) to halt its advance before it reaches Nicaragua.

The General Coordination of International Affairs of the Ministry of Agriculture reaffirmed the priority of its relationship with Belize, committing ongoing support from the ministry’s technical and scientific institutions to their Central American counterparts.

Minister José Abelardo Mai highlighted that Belize, with over 5,400 livestock producers, primarily small-scale, sees livestock exports as a key opportunity for community development. He noted improvements in Belize’s livestock sector through the acquisition of Mexican stallions, better grass varieties, and infrastructure investments.

Mai also acknowledged the significant contributions of the National Institute of Forestry, Agricultural, and Livestock Research (INIFAP) in boosting the production of soybeans, soursop, coconut, and pitahaya in Belize.

On the topic of cattle screwworm, Mai, a veteran of eradication efforts 30 years ago, announced plans for an awareness campaign and a fund to support regional health initiatives.

The meeting was attended by key officials, including Senasica’s general director of Animal Health, Juan Gay Gutiérrez, and of Plant and Animal Health Inspection, Jorge Luis Leyva Vázquez, as well as Belizean representatives such as the director of the Citrus Revitalization and Diversification Programme, Hugh O’Brien, the general director of the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA), Zoe Zetina, and BAHA’s director of Animal Health, Roxanna Álvarez.

FAO and Canada launch $14.6M climate-smart agriculture project in the Caribbean

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in collaboration with the Canadian government, has launched a $14.6 million project titled Gender Responsive Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems in the Caribbean. Running until December 2028, this four-year initiative will focus on climate change, youth and gender constraints in value chains and build capacity so that all value chain actors benefit from increased market access and increased incomes.

The project will be implemented by FAO in collaboration with the Ministries of Agriculture in eight (8) Caribbean countries. The project aims to promote and encourage the use of climate-smart technologies in viable agricultural value chains in Belize, Grenada, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Suriname and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

“We recognise the disproportionate impact of food and input price inflation, supply chain disruptions, and climate change in the Caribbean, which has exacerbated pre-existing food insecurity,” said High Commissioner Chatterjee at the regional launch event on Monday.

The project was originally announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Canada-CARICOM summit last October. She underscored the importance of empowering women, describing them as “powerful agents of change” in achieving sustainable and resilient agri-food systems.

According to the High Commissioner, the project represents a major commitment under Canada’s feminist international assistance policy. It will develop inclusive, gender-responsive, climate-resilient value chains in the named Caribbean countries. It addresses challenges faced by producers and farmer organizations, such as weak business planning and limited access to finance.

Renata Clarke, FAO’s subregional coordinator for the Caribbean, stressed the project’s alignment with broader efforts to transform value chains in the sub-region.

Project coordinator Vermaran Extavour outlined goals including the adoption of climate-smart technologies and improving community facilities with renewable energies to enhance food quality and reduce waste. The initiative aims to build the capacity of women and youth producer organizations to run viable businesses within these value chains.

Since 2017, Global Affairs Canada has invested over $2.5 billion in global agriculture and food programming. High Commissioner Chatterjee expressed confidence that this project will complement other efforts to strengthen agricultural entrepreneurship and food systems in the region.

The FAO-Canada initiative will initially operate in eight Eastern Caribbean countries, with detailed implementation plans forthcoming.

(Press release) 

BAHA Refutes Rumors of Issuing Export License for Sugar

The Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) fired off a press release this morning, denying rumors that an export license was issued for sugar allegedly found being shipped out of the country at a northern Belize border location.

In its release, BAHA says that it is not a “licensing authority for agricultural commodities.”

“BAHA regulates imports to comply with sanitary and phytosanitary requirements as a risk management strategy against plant pests and animal diseases, and to ensure that only safe food is imported. Importers are legally required to obtain BAHA import permits, which details conditions for importation, for this process.”

BAHA says that BSI-ASR and Santander Sugar are the only two companies that receive inspection and certification services for sugar exportation. It says that the only authorized exit points are the Port of Belize LTD and the Port of Big Creek, where BAHA personnel ensure that only certified consignments are shipped out.

BAHA categorically denies any involvement in the irregular export of sugar to Mexico or any other country.

BSI Expresses Concerns Regarding COI 

The Belize Sugar Industries Limited is expressing concerns over what it describes as the Commission of Inquiry’s change of focus.

In a release, BSI says that “because it operates in a commodity business that is very competitive, it cannot share proprietary and confidential information.”

BSI says it cannot disclose proprietary and confidential information. The company has also informed the government that it will not cooperate with a COI if its focus shifts towards using the process to negotiate a new commercial agreement, as this is a “private commercial matter.”

Sugar Industry Commission of Inquiry Holds First Meeting

Since its formulation in March, the Sugar Industry Commission of Inquiry held its first meeting on May twenty-ninth. The session was held virtually, led by Coordinator, Hugh O’Brien and Chairman, Wayne Piper. O’Brien said the first meeting was a good one and the commissioners all charted a plan of action going forward. O’Brien said that when the commissioners visit Belize next week, they will conduct site visits with the various cane farmer associations as well as to cane fields in the north and west of Belize.

Hugh O’Brien, Lead Coordinator, Sugar Industry Commission of Inquiry

Since only the secretary of the commission is in Belize, Mr. Wayne paper -chairman is in Belize as well as Mr. Jeffrey Joseph, who is the agronomist, those are the only three people in Belize. The other commissioners are all from abroad.  One is from South Africa, one from, the UK and two of them are from Mauritius. So the meeting was held virtually and it actually lasted for just about three hours and very good first meeting. It was the first time commissioners sat together and they started to – first they reviewed what was their scope of work, and they set in place a partial plan as to how they intend to get their work carried out. In particular next week, there will be a visit to the different cane farmers associations. There’ll be visits to the fields, both in the north where sugar is produced by small farmers as well as the fields in the west where sugar is produced more by larger farmers and by Santander and there will be physical visits to the factory, to both factories. These guys who have been appointed to the, commission of inquiry, they have great expertise in both, in the case of two of the commissioners their deep expertise in how sugar mills operate across the world. And the other two guys also have great expertise in terms of all sugar is grown and yields and the various components of having a very successful very integrated and very successful sugar industry. And they also have requisite experience in terms of some of the legislative matters that can help to guide the development of a more sustainable sugar industry

 

Sugar COI Goal is to Make the Industry More Efficient

O’Brien indicated that the overall role of the Commission of Inquiry is to delve into some of the specifics of the sugar industry in Belize. This is expected to assist them in coming up with specific recommendations on how Belize can have a more sustainable sugar industry and look at the value chain. The result, he said, is to make the industry more efficient and more beneficial to the country.

Hugh O’Brien, Lead Coordinator, Sugar Industry Commission of Inquiry

We are still hovering around 100, 000 tons of sugar, 1 million tons of sugarcane. And we’ve been, we’ve fluctuated between 900, 000 tons of sugarcane to up to almost 1. 3. But as a country, we have not been able to jump 1. 27 or something like 1. 3. We’ve been stuck and then we go up, then we come down and that is not good for the factory. It’s not good for the farmers. Our yields are between 15 and 20 tons per acre on an average. In the north, and our the factory claims they are very efficient, but we do know that there are times that they cannot receive more than a certain amount of cane on a daily basis, and there are many years that cane got left in the field. And that is value that could have been saved and so forth. Right now, the price of sugar on the world market is very, good. So there’s great incentive for our industry to grow. The price of sugar that is bulk has good world market price, and the price of sugar that is packaged or is ready to consume. I also have very good retail price in fact, Mexico, Guatemala, in the Caribbean and Belize is exporting sugar to four or five Caribbean countries. We export it to Europe, to Taiwan, various parts of the world, U.K and the U.S. So there’s an opportunity right now, the markets are looking really, good for, the sugar industry. And maybe this commission of inquiries is opportune to try to set really good conditions for a continued growth and a very having a try to trying to create as best as possible a very sustainable and rewarding industry for all parties.

Sugar Inquiry Not Sure About Recording Sessions

The commission will play a similar role to other commissions of inquiry that have been held. O’Brien explained that this body also has a great deal of authority and will conduct its business the same way other commissions have. What these commissioners are not certain about, however, is whether they will record the sessions. O’Brien explained the reason for this.

Hugh O’Brien, Lead Coordinator, Sugar Industry Commission of Inquiry

The commissioners will be calling people just as happen in other commissions of inquiry, will be calling people to come forward, will specifically tell them what information they need for them to bring along and can make requests for additional information. I am saying that, so we expect as much collaboration as possible from all the parties involved. But I will say that indeed there has been a press release by BSI in particular to say that there is certain information that they consider proprietary and that they do not intend to discuss or share. I’m hoping that, based on the recent work I did with BSI, which I did have access to a great deal of proprietary information that helped to clear up and sort out some of the issues that had plagued the industry, that caused the protests back in January – I’m hoping that BSI would be a bit more open and realize that at the end of the day, the idea is to reflect on the numbers. It gives them – a sense of confidence will come their way if they share the information, because then if they don’t share people think that there was something that they got to hide, and that only creates more skepticism and does create more chaos in the industry. In terms of the recording of the sessions that matter would be we’re not extremely clear yet. If you will record or all the sessions are just record some or there are some concerns amongst some commissioners that they went when we ask people certain questions if we are recording that we may not get the full insights that they may want to offer because it’s being recorded. So we will deliberate on that specific topic a bit more in our next meeting.

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