Disgruntled Cane Farmers and Their Vote

Chief Executive Officer Oscar Alonzo was also present following a meeting of the B.S.C.F.A. on Wednesday night.  While the issue of politics was raised by Alfredo Ortega in the preceding interview, Alonzo was clear in stating that the aggrieved cane farmers will ultimately decide what takes place at the polls come election season.

Oscar Alonzo

Oscar Alonzo, C.E.O., B.S.C.F.A.

“The BSCFA doesn’t have to tell its members not to vote for the PM.  The people are suffering and that very same suffering is the one that dictates their choice of vote.  And if he cannot read that in the eyes, in the pain, in the suffering of the people in this northern part of the country then he is completely disconnected.  He’s not part of this region, he’s like in another world.  But I just wanted to bring up a point here.  We noticed that BSI has been issuing a lot of releases, press conferences, painting the BSCFA as though it’s a diabolical or bad for the farmers, bad for the industry, bad for the country and all they’re doing is stirring up trouble and not trying to understand.  This is their favorite word, not trying to understand, but let us go back.  When ASR came in here, we embraced them.  We stuck out our necks for them.  We went to each village and we sold ASR to the people, saying, “Okay, let us accept this company that is taking over BSI.”  Why?  Because it’s a big company, one of the biggest producers of sugar.  They have markets, they have technology, they have finance and they even brought the promise to us that they will provide these resources to our farmers to make them improve their productivity.  They also brought promises that they would try to improve the milling rate from what it was.  They spoke bad about the English, that the English put the sugar industry in the doldrums and they would bring it up back.”