On Thursday, a screwworm case popped up in Crique Sarco village, Toledo District, causing quite a stir. Since October, over two hundred and thirty-five technical experts have been trained in preventing and controlling New World screwworms, and four hundred and twenty-five farms and homes have been inspected for thChannel 5 Belizeese pesky pests. Belize had been free of any outbreak signs until now. The Ministry of Agriculture confirmed that last week’s infestation was limited to just one animal on a southern Belize farm, which has since been treated. Minister of Agriculture, Jose Abelardo Mai, shared insights on where they believe the outbreak originated.
Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture
“How did the worms get there and Dr. Alvarez explained that it’s a fly and it flies distances. The team on the ground is doing a thorough investigation. So far, we will show you right now where the, where the case was found. There is no direct contact with the community in Guatemala, eleven miles away from Crique Sarco. For there is no connection, no road. So, if you look on the map, you will see Crique Sarco and, you look way at the, down at the corner where Belize and Guatemala meet. That, that area there is where Modesto is. That’s the last case found in Guatemala sometime last week. So, the distance between these two communities is eleven miles. So, there’s no road that leads directly from Modesto Mendez to Crique Sarco. And that is why we are assuming that the fly may have flown in from Guatemala into Belize. If you look on the Guatemala territory, south of the Sarstoon, all the cleared area you see there is all farmland. They’re all farms. So we have to assume there is a population of fertile flies, and one of them may have found his way into Belize. If you look where Crique Sarco is, it is central, Southern Toledo. And so that is why we’re assuming that the fly had to fly into Belizean territory and found an open wound. And that is where we have the case today.”
The Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed a single case of screwworm in Southern Belize. Earlier this year, Mexico warned that if Belize reported any screwworm cases, livestock exports to Mexico would be halted for up to a year. However, at today’s press briefing, Minister of Agriculture Jose Abelardo Mai reassured everyone that Belize’s trade won’t be affected by this incident. Mai has been in touch with Mexico’s new Minister of Agriculture, Doctor Julio Berdegue, who has pledged his full support to Belize. Here’s more on that.
Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture
“When we met last two weeks in Palenque, Chiapas, one of the main topics discussed was the new export protocol. At that time, they were still banned from exporting into the U.S. But a few days after, the U.S. gave them a new protocol saying that you can export, but these are the new conditions. A while ago, Dr. Berdegue got in contact with us and his Senasica office saying that they’re almost almost completing the new protocols for Belize’s export to Mexico. It means that we will not lose a day of exporting cattle to Mexico. Our cattle exports will continue. Of course, with a different protocol. But, one of the most important protocols to us is the reduction of quarantine time from twenty-one days to seven days. You will know that a million animals find its way into Mexico from Central America. And much of it is informal, informal. So the formal trade is competing with the informal trade. The cost of exporting cattle formally is very high as compared to exporting the informal. So Mexico is of the view that if we manage to lower off exporting formally, then the majority of cattle then will go into Mexico legally with all the protocols being put in place. So, for us, that is a blessing. I believe it’s an example where you convert a challenge into an opportunity. And so Dr. Berdegue and Mexico have been very understanding of us and not a single day of cattle export will be lost because of this case of school in Belize.”
This morning, Belize Sugar Industries and other stakeholders kicked off the 2024-2025 sugar cane season. Originally slated to start on December sixteenth, the season’s opening was delayed to the twenty-seventh due to poor road conditions. Although the season is just getting underway, stakeholders are already bracing for challenges. Tumultuous weather, rough road conditions, and the rapid spread of fusarium disease across northern Belize are expected to impact cane farmers and sugar producers. News Five’s Britney Gordon was at the opening ceremony to get the scoop on what next year holds for the sugar industry. Here’s her report.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
This morning marked the official start of the 2024/2025 crop season, kicking off Belize’s sugar production for the upcoming year. Despite the excitement, it’s a slow day at Belize Sugar Industries. 2024 was a landmark year for the local sugar industry, with record-breaking cane prices and the largest raw sugar export in the country’s history. However, stakeholders are cautious about 2025, uncertain if it will match the previous year’s success.
Vladimir Pook
Vladimir Pook, Chairman, Corozal Sugar Cane Producers
“This symbolic opening is very important. Where it shows unity, the full association, we came here today and do what is best for our keen farmers, right? To the start of a crop. It’s a very challenging crop coming ahead. Reasons, weather, roads, the fusarium, as you all know. And other pests that have been affecting the industry. But I think that at this point in time, there is one major reason why today it looks a little bit sad, I can say. At the beginning of a crop where you don’t see as many trucks as we normally do, right? And that has contributed mostly to the roads. The pest that has done its damage, but now it’s time to deliver. We wanted to have an early start, but unfortunately the authorities did not prioritize on that.”
In late October, cane farmers were overjoyed as sugar cane prices soared to a record-breaking ninety dollars and ninety-five cents. It was a moment of celebration for the industry. However, Alfredo Ortega, Chairman of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association Committee of Management, warns that tougher times are on the horizon for farmers next year.
Alfredo Ortega
Alfredo Ortega, Chairman, Committee of Management, B.S.C.F.A.
“We are seeing the realities novel of climate change, as you rightly said. As we have said before, the problems we are seeing are many of them are caused by climate change. And yes, there’s a situation because as everything has, fuel is up, labor is up. So the farmers are really very tight in regards to what they make and in regards to the sugarcane they have. So it’s not an easy issue, it’s not very easy for the farmers to see when we are getting a huge amount on the sugarcane we produce. Nevertheless, last year we got ninety dollars per ton of cane which has been the highest in history. But when we see all the payments that we have to do in regards to fuels, in regards to social security, that has doubled from five years ago to now what we have to pay for labor from six to ten dollars now for cutting. So it’s a very huge amount that the farmers now have to pay to to get that cane coming here to the mill.”
Despite the looming challenges, farmers remain resolute. Alfredo Ortega notes that many have already started planting seeds for the next crop season. Likewise, Belize Sugar Industries (B.S.I.) is preparing for the year ahead, ready to tackle whatever comes their way.
Shawn Chavarria
Shawn Chavarria, Financial Director, B.S.I.
“Symbolically, it’s a good day in that we have an agreement with all our associations, which paves the way for the crop. That’s really the most important thing you need to have, a successful crop. If you have an agreement with all your associations for the cane, that makes, planning the crop much easier. I think we certainly know what are the challenges this year. We’ve heard from farmers and their leaders that sugar roads are in a bad state. And that’s making it difficult to get the cane in. So we’re expecting that today might be a very slow day in that respect. We know as well about the disease fusarium, which will result in lower-quality cane. So what we need to ensure from the mill standpoint is that the mill has been maintained properly so that we can deal with this cane. From our standpoint, we’ve done that. We put in about fourteen million Belize dollars just in out-for-crop replacement of maintenance equipment. And general maintenance to get the prop on the middle ready for today.”
So far, only a handful of trucks loaded with cane have made their way to the B.S.I. compound. However, BSI’s financial director, Shawn Chavarria, is optimistic that the operation will ramp up to full speed very soon.
Shawn Chavarria
“ We were currently doing some phone calls to the different leaders and groups to find out how much cane they have ready. We’re still getting some numbers. We’re trying to at least get quantity of our own fifteen hundred assured before we start putting on our cane shredder and our cane knives because that really then requires a lot of power to start receiving the cane. So we need to be assured a certain quantity before we can get that. I would expect maybe by late this afternoon, we will probably have an indication of sufficient quantity. Then we will be able to make a start with the milling, but we’re hopeful that by tomorrow, we start seeing a steadier level of cane coming in and start getting into full force.”
The bleak outlook for sugar production is a major concern for B.S.I., which relies on fixed assets. Low output makes running the mill costly. While B.S.I. assures that the local sugar market won’t be hit hard, Cane Farmer Relations Manager Olivia Carballo-Avilez warns that international sales are expected to drop.
“We will be able to supply for the Belizean market. It’s only ten percent output. of the total production that’s for the Belizean market. And of course, if we are, if we don’t have the sugar production, we can’t sell those amounts. The local market has, we don’t have to worry about that, but yes, we will be selling less sugar if there is less sugar.”
Belize’s sugar roads are in terrible condition, according to cane farmers across Northern Belize who are struggling to make their deliveries. Today, the 2024-2025 crop season finally kicked off, sixteen days later than planned, mainly due to the poor state of the roads. Belize Sugar Industries’ Financial Director, Shawn Chavarria, shared that this has been a long-standing issue for the industry, making it difficult for farmers to get their cane to the sugar producers.
Shawn Chavarria
Shawn Chavarria, Financial Director, B.S.I.
“I think it’s really, a long term failure that has been occurring with respect to Sugar Roads. Infrastructure is critical for any sector, any industry, especially ours, which requires transportation of their raw material to the mill. And so without the proper infrastructure, it’s difficult for us to be able to make a good start. And we’ve seen that. We have proposed to start the crop on the sixteenth of December of December. Farmers, I said, look, I am willing to start, but I can’t get to my fields. And so that has set, that’s about two weeks. But the state of the roads is not one that just occurred this year, or the year before. It’s been successive years of inadequate maintenance and repairs to these sugar roads for a critical industry. It’s still one of the largest agricultural industries in Belize. It’s the highest contributor to GDP from the agricultural sector, bringing the highest level of foreign exchange. I think a long-term solution really needs to be put in place to address the matter of sugar roads because now it’s costing us money because it’s delaying the start. If we have to push the crop into the rainy season, it will cost the industry to lower cane quality and less recovery of sugar. So really, we need a long term solution for the matter of sugar roots so that, we remove one obstacle that we have.”
In January, Belize Sugar Industries and the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association finally reached an agreement, ending their prolonged negotiations. Just a year ago, the dispute had escalated to public demonstrations and road blockades. This year, however, the sugar industry faces new challenges: climate change, inaccessible sugar roads, and fungal diseases affecting the crops. We spoke with several stakeholders today, who emphasized the strong commitment of both entities to work together and tackle these issues head-on.
Shawn Chavarria
Shawn Chavarria, Financial Director, B.S.I.
“Certainly a welcome treat for us to be able to, have a Christmas break where really you didn’t have to worry about trying to negotiate a commercial agreement and when we will start. So that’s certainly welcome compared to a year ago. And so having, put that aside, then the focus now is really in ensuring that we make the most out of this crop. We try to minimize our losses and maximize revenues as best as we can. And so that really requires a collaborative effort with all stakeholders to ensure that we achieve them.”
Alfredo Ortega
Alfredo Ortega, Chairman, Committee of Management, B.S.C.F.A.
“As you know last year we signed a two year extension addendum of the agreement. So this year we don’t have anything to sign. We are already in peace for this year, as you rightly said. So we have to continue on when time comes that we need to negotiate. Then we will start negotiating again with the men. So at this point in time, everything is okay between us. We have signed for at least this coming year again. So we need to work in peace because at the very end, what we want to see is our farmers really get the benefit of their labor.”
In late August, Belize kicked off the first hearings for the Commission of Inquiry into the sugar industry. This inquiry aims to scrutinize the entire value chain of the industry and offer recommendations to the government. Belize Sugar Industries Limited (B.S.I.) was among the organizations under examination. B.S.I.’s Financial Director, Shawn Chavarria, shared an update on these recommendations.
Shawn Chavarria, Financial Director, B.S.I.
“We actually heard from the Commission of Inquiry roughly two weeks ago. They had shared a summary of their recommendation. But we haven’t seen the full report and we are requesting the full report because really it’s difficult for us to opine on what the summary of the findings and recommendations are without seeing the rationale for it. So we requested the full report. The commission did ask us not to meet that public as yet because they want to ensure the proper communication is done with all the stakeholders first and get their feedback. But from our standpoint, it was a bit challenging for us to give you back without seeing the full report. And so we requested that. We’re hopeful that we can get that sometime soon.”
It’s an exciting week for the team at Belize Sugar Industries. At Big Creek Port in Stann Creek District, the Federal Tiber vessel is being loaded with over thirty-nine thousand tons of raw sugar. So, where’s it heading? This massive shipment is bound for London, England. The Supply Chain Manager says that if the weather cooperates, the ship is set to sail next week.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
It’s an exciting week for the team at Belize Sugar Industries. At Big Creek Port in Stann Creek District, the Federal Tiber vessel is being loaded with over thirty-nine thousand tons of raw sugar. So, where’s it heading? This massive shipment is bound for London, England. The Supply Chain Manager says that if the weather cooperates, the ship is set to sail next week.
Eldy Smith
Eldy Smith, Supply Chain Manager, ASR/BSI
“Today is a memorable moment for us. It’s one of the largest vessels that has docked in Belize. We’re loading thirty-nine thousand five hundred metric tons. We are expecting that The finished loading is within six days. We have some delays and this is mainly because of the rain. But our loading rates are normally between five thousand to seven thousand metric tons an hour, right? Right now we are currently meeting the five thousand. And we are hoping that we can get better with the weekend that we have better sunny skies.”
Typically, loading a shipment of this size would take over forty days. BSI’s Communications Director, Williams Neal, explains that if a vessel stays docked longer than the agreed loading and unloading time, a demurrage fee is charged for each extra day. By boosting efficiency, the company saves valuable time and money.
William Neal
William Neal, Communications Director, B.S.I.
“ It’s really not only historic for BSI, but for the country. Because it shows that if we have the right port facilities, we can do much more. And in a world where competitiveness is important when you’re talking about businesses. You have to make sure that you’re able to respond to your needs of your clients as they arrive. So while we’re moving on a regular basis, the raw sugar down here, we have to make sure that we’re able to compete with other larger producers globally. So the infrastructure here at the port that we 30 million dollars Uh, proves that this was long overdue, and perhaps it’s something that we need to do more in terms of port and infrastructure development.”
Over the past two years, BSI has been phasing out the tug and barge system for transporting sugar. The main reasons? High maintenance costs and the difficulty of insuring the barges.
William Neal
“It made a lot of dollars and cents to actually move to this facility because the savings drove that entire process. It’s not easy when you’re a business and you’re doing massive transformation to continue spending money because the impression then is that you have a lot of money. But if you do nothing, you’re going to die. So you have to make the investment. You know, some people say scared money doesn’t make money in business. You have to be bold and you have to be ahead of the curve.”
This shipment showcases Belize’s growing capacity for trade. Dr. Osmond Martinez, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Trade, sees it as a positive signal to the international market.
Osmond Martinez
Dr. Osmond Martinez, Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Trade
“Whenever we analyze the efficiencies and the effectiveness in terms of the supply chain and to be able to compete in the local, in the global market in this case to supply sugar is very important because the more we are able to export, that means that more competitive we are in terms of price. And today, when you look at the global inflation. Global inflation which is affecting all consumers in the world being competitive in terms of price is very important.”
The total value of the export is forty-five million dollars which Martinez anticipates will directly impact Belize’s economy by reducing the country’s trade deficit.
Dr. Osmond Martinez
“But it is also important to note that its contribution has a multiplier effect. And it is our hope that its contribution will not just be a one-time impact, but that it will have an a wider impact. In terms of hope the money is circulating within Belize’s economy.”
Belize Sugar Industries is gearing up to ship the largest quantity of raw sugar in the country’s history, reflecting a successful cane season. However, the latter half of the season faced setbacks due to changing weather conditions and the fusarium disease, which devastated many Northern crops. We spoke with B.S.I. Communications Director, William Neal, about when the next crop season will start and how optimistic the company is for the future.
William Neal
William Neal, Communications Director, B.S.I/A.S.R.
“We’ve had discussions with stakeholders and it was decided that the start of crop work and that would be the twenty-seventh of December B. S. I. Had actually proposed that we start on the sixteenth of December. We know that we have a lot of challenges with rain and climate change in general, but we thought because of the sarium disease as well that we should start as early as possible, however, and it was agreed that we would start on the twenty-seventh of December, and I think that Should be that’s it. That’s it by now, and we should proceed with that. We don’t foresee any challenges in that regard. But of course, the farmers and the farmer associations asked for that because there were concerns about the rains, the condition of fields, but also the condition of roads. Anybody who drives on the roads in Belize know that we are having significant challenges with roads that are in horrible conditions.”
Last month, the Ministry of Agriculture declared a state of emergency in the sugar industry because a fungal disease has infected up to forty thousand acres of sugar cane. This disease causes the cane to yellow and wilt, making them unfit for sugar production. With the new crop season starting in just a week, we asked Belize Sugar Industries Communications Director, William Neal, for an update on the search for a cure. Here’s what he had to say.
William Neal
William Neal, Communications Director, B.S.I/A.S.R.
“This is new, so there’s a lot of research still ongoing, but we know some things. One, Corozal. Has been more impacted than Orange Walk. We also know that Fusarium is not new. It was triggered perhaps by the climate change challenges. The extended droughts, the excessive rains. It just created the perfect conditions for it to grow. I don’t think they have identified exactly what species it is. So there’s some best practices that they’re testing, but I don’t think enough time has passed to say how effective those are. Of course you have to do everything that you can to make sure that you have the maximum input and in some cases the estimate is that production could fall as much as thirty percent, that’s significant. That’s one third of your production. So it’s something that we definitely have to, as an industry, focus on and try to mitigate the impact of it.”
The Government of Belize reports a significant decrease in sugar smuggling over the past few months. Earlier this year, many Belizeans will remember stores limiting the amount of sugar one person could buy, sparking fears of a sugar shortage. However, Belize Sugar Industries quickly debunked this, clarifying that the country had plenty of sugar and that the limits were to curb smuggling. Today, we spoke with Doctor Osmond Martinez, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Trade, for an update on the situation. Here’s what he had -to say.
Osmond Martinez
Dr. Osmond Martinez, Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Trade
“The government have taken the proper measurements to minimize and eliminate that problem I think that question can be addressed more to Minister Abelardo Mai. He will be able to get into details. We acknowledge that there were some issues in the past and that’s a problem we the government, you know, Belize has been able to mitigate and almost eliminate that problem. But in terms of details, all the measurements that are being put in place, the minister of agriculture will be in a better position to explain the details on the measurements that governments are putting in place.”
