The BSCFA say that the Government is not doing enough

The BSCFA is calling on the government to do more to resolve the sugar impasse between them and BSI/ASR. The association recently held their annual special general meeting where the association’s eighteen branches decided on several resolutions. One of the decision made was for the BSCFA to write to the Prime Minister informing him that in the case of the mediation failing, they want him to intervene once again. The association is also calling on the government to declare that this year’s sugar cane crop will only commence after all four sugar cane farmers’ associations have signed agreements with ASR/BSI. According to Alfredo Ortega, the Chairman of BSCFA’s Committee of Management, the association has been calling on the government to intervene on their behalf for months but are yet to see any real steps being taken.

Alfredo Ortega, Committee of Management Chairman, BSCFA: “The government has been absent in a certain point to the point or to the date where we are now. We are in the 15th the middle of November. If the government had been putting their efforts this would have been finished long ago and that is why we have been calling the government to come on board and to help us resolve this situation on which we are. We are looking forward that the Government of Belize will really put an action immediately to help us resolve this situation where we are in. We have been calling them from long ago. We have sometimes some words of them, some words of hope but that hope has not yet come to the fruition we would like to see to finalize this issue with BSI. We have always mentioned that the north, Orange Walk and Corozal are heavily dependent on the sugar industry. We as the leaders we have always been looking forward for benefits of our farmers and because of that advantage has been taken upon us and the tactics that BSI have been using is a tactical maneuver on trying to intimidate each and everyone they can. So we call on the government. We call on the Government of Belize and I want to put this very clear when they were in opposition they claimed every time that they will come and assist the cane farmers because they had been seeing that we have been punished, that the farmers were not taking the best opportunity they can and they said and I will quote this this was the words of the Prime Minister many times that on the first hundred days of his government he will introduce the marketing committee. Last week Thursday I think they completed two years being elected and nothing has happened as yet.”