Three Years or Seven? Sugar Crop Hinges on Deal  

The sugar industry is inching toward the start of the crop, but one major hurdle remains, the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association has yet to sign a commercial agreement with Belize Sugar Industries Ltd. After years of bitter standoffs and shutdowns, stakeholders are hoping to avoid another impasse and this time, both sides appear closer than usual. BSI is pushing for a seven-year agreement, while the association says its members have given a clear mandate: no deal longer than three years. They have put members’ position in writing and are now waiting for BSI’s response. Today, the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the BSCFA told us the ball is in the factory’s court and that farmers simply want a fair, stable window to secure a safe crop.

 

Salvador Martin, Chairman, Belize Sugarcane Farmers Association

“We have written to BSI-ASR in behalf of our farmers because we got mandate in the last meeting, general meeting that, and the mandate is that our farmers say that we need for behalf, that they have a safe crop at least for two, three years. And they’re, they passed our motion and they send a mandate to us as the leaders sign three years, BSI. And that is what we’re telling BSI, we are waiting to see them respond.”

 

Shane Williams

“But the factory is saying, as I understand it, they want a seven-year agreement. Will that be a problem?”

 

Alfredo Ortega, Vice-Chairman, Belize Sugarcane Farmers Association

“As and as the chairman rightly said, our farmers in our general meeting, that is what they posed to us, that we should sign an agreement no further than three years because that is what was – not a – I wouldn’t use the word a custom, but that was something that was done in the past on which it has a rollover if none of the parties ask for any negotiation. We don’t have a date right now. We are awaiting a response for, from them. Based on the meeting we had, our general meeting we had this past Sunday with the cane farmers we have sent the letter to them in regards to what the farmers posed to us. So we are awaiting a response from them, and then we will see what will be the next step from there.”