B.S.I. On One-Year Interim Agreement: “The Priority Became Getting the Crop Started”

Shawn Chavarria

As we said, A.S.R./B.S.I. and B.S.C.F.A. signed a one-year interim agreement. The mill initially proposed a two-year interim agreement, following a failed mediation exercise. Shawn Chavarria, the Director of Finance at A.S.R./B.S.I., shared the company’s rationale behind agreeing to a one-year interim agreement in place of its initial proposal.

Shawn Chavarria, Director of Finance, A.S.R./B.S.I.

“The matter became bigger than BSI and BSCFA. As Olivia mentioned we have three other associations with long term agreements. They were ready to get the crop going. They have their farmers who were ready to deliver and then you have the wider economy that depends on the crop season. So, you have the cane cutters, the drivers, farmers who have to purchase fuel at the gas station. So, it extended to the wider cane farmers community and the economy, particularly the economy here in the north. So, for us the priority became getting the crop started, whether it is through a one-year or two-year agreement. For us, the priority was to get to this point where we are starting the crop, receiving the cane and we can get things going. Our rational for a two-year was simply to provide more time and space for us and the BSCFA to see if we can reach a long term agreement. If the BSCFA is confident that it can be done within the year we certainly look forward to that. At the end of the day, that is our main objective, to reach a long-term mutually beneficial agreement. And, if we can do that within one year then we look forward to doing so.”