Composition of Sugar Industry Inquiry Commission Underway

Jose Abelardo Mai

In March of 2023, the Cabinet decided, based on the demands primarily of cane farmers of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association, to hold a commission of inquiry into the sugar industry. The inquiry will analyse and identify areas along the entire chain of the sugar industry in an attempt to modernize the Sugar Industry Act. Minister of Agriculture, Jose Abelardo Mai says that while no names have been announced, the composition of that commission is underway.

Jose Abelardo Mai

Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture

“We have names from people from Mauritius, but I think ASR, through our Attorney General’s office, has said that they want to add two more people to that cocktail of experts. So we are waiting for those two names and we are moving on. I think we’ve given them a time span [to] submit the names and we shall include them, and we need to roll. But we cannot keep dragging our foot on this. So I’ve asked my staff just a while ago, has BSI submitted their names? If they’ve not, then we have to move on, but we cannot be chasing our tail like dogs in circles. We got to move on to this.”