Cane Farmers and B.S.I. Working on Commercial Agreement
To prevent any further standoffs, B.S.I. and the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association are in negotiations as they attempt to finalize a commercial agreement by the end of the sugar crop. Their first meeting was held on January eighteenth where B.S.I. reportedly laid out the financial reports on bagasse earnings. More meetings are to follow, and Chavarria says he is confident that both parties will find common ground.
Shawn Chavarria, Director of Finance, A.S.R./B.S.I.
“Without getting into too many details because discussions are ongoing, we have had an initial meeting with the B.S.C.F.A. on the eighteenth of January. So, we received some questions, provided feedback to the B.S.C.F.A. Since then we have exchanged additional information. So, right now those discussions are ongoing. The next step really is for the B.S.C.F.A. to come back to us with some feedback on what we have presented, and keep the discussions going because we want to ensure that before the end of this crop we have a long term agreement in place with the B.S.C.F.A. That is really critical, because we don’t want to go into another offseason where we have doubt lingering in our heads. All it will do is just keep back investments. There won’t be any confidents from both stakeholders. I think both the mill and the farmers as well. They will wonder well, should I be planting if I am not sure if we will be having the same trouble next year. So, it is really important that we get a long term agreement signed before the end of this crop before we go into this off season, knowing that we are just focused on getting the mill ready.”