BSI and BSCFA Still At Odds Over Agreement Ahead of Upcoming Sugar Crop

The next sugar crop is set to commence on December twentieth, but ASR/BSI is still at odds with the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association. This is over an existing cane purchase agreement which the representative body of cane farmers in the north argues should be terminated.  While three other cane farmers associations are in agreement with Belize Sugar Industries Limited to maintain the status quo, the B.S.C.F.A. has refused to budge.  According to Vice President for International Relations, Mac McLachlan, efforts have been made to call the directors of B.S.C.F.A. to the table to discuss the issue.

Malcolm “Mac” McLachlan, VP, International Relations, ASR/BSI

Malcolm “Mac” McLachlan

“I wanted to give a little bit of background on where we are with the start of or the potential start of the crop and where we are with relations between the BSI and cane farmer associations.  As I check my watch, it’s late November which means that the crop is almost upon us.  We’re aiming to start the crop around twentieth of December and, as things currently stand, we have long-term cane purchase agreements signed with three associations, however, the fourth association, the BSCFA, has explained to us that we should terminate the agreement to renegotiate.  We have put forth proposals to extend the existing agreement with a few minor changes which are all in the farmers favor and it will help farmers to receive added benefits from the agreement moving forward due to greater efficiency and improved terms for selling our added value sugars.  BSCFA has put forth proposals that would radically change the way the cane price structure works and would basically amount to a major transfer of resources from the mill to the farmers.  And it’s a position that we’re in at the moment where we’ve reached out to the BSCFA, to all their directors, to have a conversation about why their proposal would really make this industry nonviable for the future and to discuss the issues and the background why we think it is sensible to maintain the status quo at the moment, while the investments we’ve made kick in and help the entire industry to become more viable.”