Home » Agriculture Featured
You are currently browsing entries filed in: Agriculture Featured
Notwithstanding what appears to be a positive outcome for the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association, Opposition Leader Shyne Barrow says that it’s difficult to share in the joy of the B.S.C.F.A. because it will be short-lived. Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition “We have been going through this same thing every crop and now […]
Written on January 5, 2024 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Featured |
Comments Off on U.D.P. Says B.S.C.F.A.’s Euphoria will be Short-lived
Following our newscast on Wednesday night, another round of interviews was conducted with executives on the Committee of Management of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association. Among them was Alfredo Ortega. Not only has Ortega established himself as a stalwart member of the B.S.C.F.A., but he’s also a levelheaded advisor to the association. Last night, […]
Written on January 4, 2024 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on Fred Ortega: “PM Briceno is Behaving Very Weak.”
Continuing with his disapproval of the prime minister, Ortega went on to compare Briceño to the head of a household and acknowledging what ought to be his responsibilities to the family. Alfredo Ortega, Committee of Management, B.S.C.F.A. “A prime minister should be like a father. If you have your father in the home and […]
Written on January 4, 2024 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on Fred Ortega, “That is not negotiations.”
On Wednesday, we showed you a throng of angry caneros when they encircled the Minister of Agriculture’s vehicle as he attempted to leave from the SIRDI compound in Orange Walk District. Fortunately, the situation did not escalate to violence the Orange Walk South Area Representative gave assurances that he was meeting with Prime Minister Briceño […]
Written on January 4, 2024 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on Is Agriculture Minister Concerned About His Personal Safety?
Chief Executive Officer Oscar Alonzo was also present following a meeting of the B.S.C.F.A. on Wednesday night. While the issue of politics was raised by Alfredo Ortega in the preceding interview, Alonzo was clear in stating that the aggrieved cane farmers will ultimately decide what takes place at the polls come election season. Oscar […]
Written on January 4, 2024 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on Disgruntled Cane Farmers and Their Vote
While the sugar industry remains in a state of crisis, C.E.O. Alonzo spoke to the membership of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association and how they have remained resolute throughout this unpredictable period at the start of the new crop. Oscar Alonzo, C.E.O., B.S.C.F.A. “It’s unfortunate that we have reached this stage, but nevertheless, […]
Written on January 4, 2024 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on C.E.O. Oscar Alonzo, “Our sin is that we question.”
C.E.O. Alonzo also discussed briefly the delivery of sugarcane by farmers who are not members of the B.S.C.F.A. He also spoke on the idea that was put forward by People’s United Party Chairman Henry Charles Usher to nationalize the mill. Oscar Alonzo, C.E.O., B.S.C.F.A. “We are not against the farmers delivering the cane, from […]
Written on January 4, 2024 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy |
Comments Off on B.S.C.F.A. Addresses Delivery of Cane by Other Farmers
We also spoke with Minister of Agriculture Jose Abelardo Mai who told reporters that for the consignment of sugar to be cleared for export, an export license would have to have been approved by the Supplies Control Board. Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture “The farmers have been calling me and telling me that […]
Written on January 4, 2024 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Ministry of Agriculture Addresses Alleged Contraband Sugar
Tension in the north remains high and everything is being done by the Belize Police Department to prevent the situation between the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association, A.S.R./B.S.I. and the Government of Belize from reaching a tipping point. Earlier today, near the outskirts of Orange Walk, Minister of Agriculture Jose Mai met once again with […]
Written on January 3, 2024 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on Will An Agreement be Met in Ongoing Sugar Impasse?
While the B.S.C.F.A. has discouraged its farmers from delivering cane, some of the association’s members have still taken around three hundred thousand tons of cane for milling. The B.S.I today held a press conference to give the media an update to a meeting it had today with the National Trade Union Congress of Belize. It […]
Written on January 3, 2024 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on B.S.I Says Meets with N.T.U.C.B Over Impasse with B.S.C.F.A
The B.S.C.F.A has basically drawn a line in the sand and one of the messages being sent is that while the majority of its members have not delivered cane, it has also said that it won’t allow anyone else to deliver cane to the sugar mill until all their demands are addressed. Chavarria says that […]
Written on January 3, 2024 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on B.S.I Officials Meet with Government Officials
The B.S.C.F.A. is also upset over what it says are unjust throughput charges proposed by A.S.R/B.S.I. in the temporary open agreement. The association claims that it does not include the charges, neither did the one-year agreement that existed last year between them. According to the B.S.C.F.A., the throughput charges are new and unjust. Shawn […]
Written on January 3, 2024 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on B.S.I Explains Throughput Fees
The impasse has been in the news for several weeks and today on the P.U.P.’s Vibes Radio and T.V., the party’s Chairman, Henry Charles Usher said that the government might have to consider buying back the factory from the investors. We hear first from the Minister of the Public Service, followed by B.S.I.’s response via […]
Written on January 3, 2024 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Will Government Buy Back B.S.I?
The United Democratic Party has also weighed in on the sugar debacle in the north. This afternoon, Opposition Leader Shyne Barrow met with reporters briefly to discuss the unpredictable state of affairs in the sugar industry. From a political perspective, Barrow places the blame for the ongoing sugar crisis squarely at the feet of the […]
Written on January 3, 2024 | Posted in
Agriculture,
People & Places |
Comments Off on U.D.P. Blames Briceño Administration for Mounting Sugar Woes
According to the Leader of the Opposition, the writings had been on the wall long before the issue escalated to where it is presently. Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition “He’s so disconnected that obviously there is a crisis. I knew days before what was happening. I knew that, everything that was happening I […]
Written on January 3, 2024 | Posted in
Agriculture,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Is PM Briceño Out of Touch with Northern Caucus?
Prime Minister John Briceño is presently out of the country and the situation in Orange Walk remains volatile where the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association and its membership met with government officials, including Minister of Agriculture Jose Abelardo Mai, Chief Executive Officer Servulo Baeza and Minister of National Defense Florencio Marin Junior, earlier today. The […]
Written on January 2, 2024 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Featured |
Comments Off on Caneros Block Philip Goldson Highway Amid Tensions in Sugar Belt
Earlier today, BSCFA Chairman Elvis Reyes addressed the gathering and so did Orange Walk South Area Representative and Minister of Agriculture Jose Abelardo Mai.
Written on January 2, 2024 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on BSCFA Chairman and Agriculture Minister Address Caneros
Turning back to developments in the north where sugar industry remains in crisis at the start of a new crop. Late this afternoon, the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association, joined by the National Trade Union Congress of Belize, held a press conference while Prime Minister Briceño and his team continued to meet in a closed-door […]
Written on December 29, 2023 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on NTUCB Joins BSCFA’s Call for Urgent Sugar Impasse Solution
There was a heavy police and military presence on the ground in Orange Walk on Thursday, while members of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association protested through the principal streets. Fortunately, there were no incidents and police remain vigilant. Today Commissioner of Police Chester Williams responded to assertions that the department is in favor of […]
Written on December 29, 2023 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on Police Keeping the Peace in Orange Walk amidst Tensions between B.S.I. and B.S.C.F.A.
According to Williams, B.S.C.F.A. members will continue to be allowed to peacefully demonstrate. If things get out of hand and emotions run high, Belize Defence Force soldiers will intervene as a last resort. Williams says the hope is that both sides come to a mutual agreement without any physical conflicts. Chester Williams, Commissioner of […]
Written on December 29, 2023 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on ComPol Says B.D.F. Soldiers on Standby
There was a buzz of activity in the sugar belt this morning where stakeholders across the industry met in various pockets to discuss the fickle state of affairs at the start of the new sugar crop. At ten a.m., the horn sounded at Tower Hill where only a few cane trucks lined up to deliver […]
Written on December 28, 2023 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on 2023 Sugar Crop Off to Another Rocky Start
The B.S.C.F.A. which is being supported by the National Trade Union Congress of Belize, has raised serious concerns over B.S.I.’s invitation for members of the association to deliver sugarcane to the mill in the absence of a commercial agreement. According to Alfredo Ortega, of the Committee of Management, after seeking legal advice on the matter, […]
Written on December 28, 2023 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on B.S.C.F.A. Urges Membership Not to Deliver Cane Individually
But why is B.S.I. prepared to accept individual deliveries from cañeros belonging to the B.S.C.F.A. when just eight years ago, a huge stink was made in the Supreme Court over the delivery of cane without signing an agreement? It was a matter that involved Lucilo Teck, a sugar cane farmer, who initiated legal proceedings against […]
Written on December 28, 2023 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Environment,
Featured |
Comments Off on B.S.C.F.A. is Back at One with Individual Cane Delivery to Miller
The prospect of importing sugar into Belize amid the scarcity of plantation white on the local market has been met with serious concern from the Belizean public. But it is likely to become a reality, given the rampant smuggling of locally produced sugar into neighboring Guatemala and Mexico. The announcement on Wednesday that B.S.I. is […]
Written on December 28, 2023 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on B.S.I. Explains Likelihood of Importing Sugar from US
Tensions between the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association, B.S.C.F.A., and Belize Sugar Industries Limited, B.S.I., are expected to increase on Thursday. B.S.I. wants to start the new sugar crop season tomorrow at ten o’clock and that this was agreed to by a majority of stakeholders in the sugar industry and announced by the Sugar Industry […]
Written on December 27, 2023 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Environment |
Comments Off on Will There be a Smooth 2023-24 Sugar Crop Opening?
