Caneros Seek Increase in Cost of Locally Sold Sugar

Oscar Alonzo

The B.S.C.F.A. held its Annual General Meeting on Sunday where key agenda items included the passage of a resolution to seek an increase in the cost per pound of sugar sold on the local market.  According to Alonzo, all efforts are also being made to commence the 2015/2016 crop on time to avoid a recurrence of previous late starts.

On the Phone: Oscar Alonzo, Chief Executive Officer, B.S.C.F.A.

“At the meeting that we had yesterday, the Annual General Meeting in which one thousand, one hundred members attended, a resolution was passed to the effect that farmers are asking to increase the price of domestic sugar.  So those are some the [issues.]  That is where we are right now and we are still awaiting a response from the Deputy Prime Minister.  B.S.I. has responded to the joint associations’ letter and it maintains its position of not increasing the working average price estimates and reiterating the justifications we had made in the original letter of requested price payment.”

Isani Cayetano

“Now Mr. Alonzo, if by any chance the outcome of this negotiation, if I may, is not favorable.  Will this any at all affect the opening of the crop or the start of the crop?”

On the Phone: Oscar Alonzo

“Well, the associations want the crop to start on time.  We don’t a repeat of the last two years.  Although at the meeting yesterday some members had made reference to stronger action being taken to try to see if the company can increase its first cane price estimate.  The situation is basically that the company is saying okay, during the course of the crop this price is revised, okay, and then once the price increases on the world market then the farmers will be able to gain that benefit through the second payment and the final payment.  But the problem is that the farmers are tied into this first payment for the entire period of the crop and will not benefit from any increase in the price of sugar on the world market.”

B.S.I. notes that the estimated cane price was based on fair assumptions, but emphasized that any improvement realized during the crop would be fully accounted for and paid to farmers in the second and third payments for the 2016 crop.