Cane Farmers Seek One Year Agreement

Oscar Alonso

Because they do not anticipate a quick resolution to the current impasse between both parties, the cane farmers who met today are proposing an interim agreement for one year, while negotiations continue.  Association C.E.O. Alonso says the government has committed to assisting them in resolving this dispute.

Oscar Alonso, CEO, BSCFA

“Our main concern this morning has to do with the need to have an agreement in place before this agreement expires in January. And, we have said that it is possible to sign an interim agreement for one year, if necessary, which will contain the existing terms of the current agreement, and continue negotiating this agreement for it to take effect in the following crop, because, it will be impractical for us to finalize the negotiation, especially given the fact that BSI has deliberately delayed this process of negotiation. But, they have more or less stuck to their guns that they are not prepared to sign a seven years agreement. And, we are hoping still that the power that be, or whoever, can sign this agreement for us to deliver our cane. At the movement, our members can deliver their cane, because there is an agreement in place. So, if the crop starts next week the cane can be delivered. But what we need to ensure is that before the nineteenth come we have another agreement, possibly an interim one, to enable them to continue delivering their can through the crop.”