B.S.I. responds to BSCFA on bagasse
The Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association is making its media rounds this week. BSCFA, as you know, wants to get a slice of the pie in respect of millions of dollars that are being realized by the Belize Sugar Industries and its parent company, the American Sugar Refinery, in respect of bagasse, which is used as bio-fuel by BELCOGEN. Their claim is that a business agreement with B.S.I. says that revenues generated from any by-product of sugar cane should be discussed with a view for profit sharing. But since they walked out of a meeting in late September, B.S.I. has not responded to their call for discussions. Today, B.S.I. issued a two page release, but did not wish to provide interviews. The company argues that the BSCFA has not invested a penny in the one hundred and thirty million dollar investment for BELCOGEN. And to bolster their position, B.S.I. says it alone undertook and financed the cost of the storage and disposal of bagasse; secondly that it was responsible for and had to manage the environmental challenges of the storage and disposal of bagasse, and thirdly that the company faced and dealt with the risk of claims and liability for the storage and disposal of bagasse both in respect of possible statutory liability and regulation and private claims. B.S.I. also makes the point that there is no legal obligation on the part of the Company or BELCOGEN to share in any way the proceeds of the sale of electricity to B.E.L. That aside, B.S.I. says that it has sent a letter to the BSCFA suggesting a date for a meeting to advance discussions on a new agreement on extension and technical support but that is separate from the bagasse issue.
Cane farmers get the most assistance than any farmer in Belize. Fuel subisidy, free truck licence, duty free on trucks pickups and tractors, duty free on fertalizer, tax free on cane payments, and $7 million each year on fairtrade. now they want free money from and investment that they made no contribution. they are spoilt rotten by poltticians and greedy directors. they are used to free things without any effort.
I am very surprised on Melinda’s comment. surely your are not a cane farmer. We as cane farmer only receive a minimal assistance on fuel that’s all. we don’t get duty free fuel nor duty free fertilizer we pay the full cost for every agrochemical we used in our fields. We Work very hard and pay social security but don’t have the benefit of NHI as City do. So the reality is another, it is Bsi that enjoy duty free on everything they buy not we. we cannot afford late model john deere tractor as the do, we buy the ones that the Americans discard from their fleets. A Very sad thing, we do the real hard work and foreigner enjoy the fruits of it. we cane farmers are no longer sleeping Belize!
It’s like selling a pig to the butcher. You would have to buy back your pork chops for BBQ, Chicharon for your beans, Pig tail, oil etc.
While I understand the cane farmers and the high cost of production of sugar cane, Bagasse is not the answer. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! The price of sugar cane is the highest its everbeen $74.20 per ton. If you want to make money in the sugar industry a tat bit of payment for bagasse is not just nor the answer to your needs!!!. Raise the tons PER ACRE by double and see what you get!!! it is totally possible to grow from 15 tons per acre to 30 or even 40 with some investment!
I like the scenario of the pig and the butcher! its just business. Caneros’ need to be smarter and ask for better things! Obviously they are being lead down the wrong path AGAIN!!!
This issue between the Cane Farmers and BSI kinda ticklish. From a layman perspective and someone who does not have a penny in that dollar But, is Belizean to the bone; I’m a bit biased, leaning toward the Caneros. That’s what my heart is telling me.
My head on the other hand, is keeping it real and reasoned that; the Farmers sold the raw material to the Company and did not have any arrangement in place to benefit from the bi-product.
This matter, no doubt is headed straight toward Belize’s supreme court for arbitration.
Maybe our brilliant legal minds need to take a break from chasing the ambulances and defending the Criminal elements and look northward in an effort to agitate on behalf of our brethren in this matter.
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I’m thinking at this time about my Citrus Growers down South. In all honesty, I don’t know that we get anything from the bi-products of the fruit we sell to the factory. Things like animal feed made from the orange/grapefruit peel etc. etc.
Louisville you are a traitor and a moron who shouldn’t be allowed to call yourself a belizean when you keep supporting this thieving pm and gov. Who keep the thief from the poor people of this country thank god you live in the us we don’t want people like you living in this country anymore.
Well let the courts decide. i agree with that. as to being a cane farmer, no am not. ut i live in san jose and i know what it is. its all politics my friend. hon. marin told farmers that if you wnat to reap— then sow.
To be honest people….if I don’t know about certain things or issues, Its wise for us to keep our mouth shut. We the cane farmers are hard working people and thus we need some extra cash on our cane that we sell. As said, any bi product that comes from the sugarcane, farmers need to get a little more for their effort. Sugar cane is a unique product and cannot be compared to stupidness about chicharron and citrus….Its true we get $74.20 for the metric tonne of sugar but it requires a lot of investment to produce one tonne of sugar. If we don’t get some monies from the bagasse I strongly recommend that the pound of sugar should be raised to at least $1 for the pound. We are tired of subsidizing sugar for the whole country. All other central American countries sell sugar for over a dollar for the pound because they know what it cost to grow sugarcane.