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And while B.S.I. wants all cane farmers to deliver cane, the B.S.C.F.A. is urging its members not to. The BSCFA wrote to Prime Minister John Briceño to “exert his authority as maximum leader of the country of Belize, to request from B.S.I. to sign a Commercial Agreement with B.S.C.F.A. for this crop year 2023/2024 with […]
Written on December 27, 2023 | Posted in
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Environment |
Comments Off on B.S.C.F.A. Urges Members Not to Deliver Cane
The sugar shortage across the country continues. Stores have begun limiting the amount of sugar one person can purchase. This shortage has been affecting families, bakers and businesses for weeks. When we spoke with Prime Minister John Briceño recently, he told us that the government is addressing the problem of sugar shortages. The scarcity is […]
Written on December 27, 2023 | Posted in
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Environment |
Comments Off on Sugar Shortage Forces B.S.I. to Import Sugar
Following a delay of almost two weeks, the Belize Sugar Industries Limited has announced the start of the 2023-2024 sugar crop on December twenty-eighth. B.S.I. says that the majority of stakeholders in the sugar industry had agreed to start this month and this was announced by the Sugar Industry Control Board B.S.I. issued a press […]
Written on December 22, 2023 | Posted in
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People & Places |
Comments Off on B.S.I Announces Start of Sugar Crop Following Delay
And while the Briceño administration acquires the Port of Belize and restores it to Belizean ownership, today Prime Minister Briceño held a meeting with representatives of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association. We know that there is still a stand-off between the association and the Belize Sugar Industries amid failure to sign a commercial agreement. […]
Written on December 13, 2023 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy |
Comments Off on PM Meets with B.S.C.F.A Representatives
The shortage of sugar on supermarket shelves has been another issue that the government is trying to resolve. The report is that distributors have been selling the sugar across the borders to businesses that pay more for the product. That is an illegal act, unless those distributors have a permit to do so. But now […]
Written on December 13, 2023 | Posted in
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Economy |
Comments Off on B.D.F. To Confiscate Sugar Heading Across the Borders
The start of the 2023-24 sugar crop has been delayed and the Belize Sugar Industries Limited has voiced its discontent with the decision to postpone the start of production. In a statement released earlier today, the company said, “after discussions, B.S.I. and the three attending associations agreed to start the crop on December fifteenth, 2023. […]
Written on December 8, 2023 | Posted in
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Economy |
Comments Off on 2023-24 Sugar Crop Delayed Until End of December
The Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association is yet to enter into a new commercial agreement with B.S.I., despite a date for the start of the new sugar crop being set tentatively for December fifteenth. In a press conference held last week, the B.S.C.F.A. maintained that the only way to move past the logjam between the […]
Written on December 4, 2023 | Posted in
Agriculture,
People & Places |
Comments Off on PM Briceño Reiterates Position on Sugar Industry Inquiry
A Commission of Inquiry to look into the state of the sugar industry and how it can be modernized is yet to receive a start date, despite being given the green light by the Briceño administration several months ago. As we’ve reported earlier this week, the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association has said that the […]
Written on November 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on What’s the Delay with Commission of Inquiry into Sugar Industry?
This afternoon in Orange Walk, executives of Belize Sugar Industries Limited, along with Prime Minister John Briceño, officially introduced a new service aimed at assisting farmers, as well as the miller, to maximize on the output and quality of their sugar product. It is the latest initiative to be introduced by B.S.I. in an effort […]
Written on November 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on A.S.R./B.S.I. Launches AgGrowPro
On Thursday, the Belize Sugar Industries Limited will officially introduce AgGrowPro, a smart sugarcane support service designed to assist cane farmers in the north with growing their crops using best practices in farming. Earlier today, BSI held a demonstration familiarizing the media with the AgGrowPro ahead of its launch. The company’s country manager, Mac McLachlan […]
Written on November 29, 2023 | Posted in
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Environment |
Comments Off on B.S.I. to Introduce AgGrowPro to Cañeros in the North
The Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association is holding firm to the position that it will not enter in to a four-year commercial agreement with A.S.R./B.S.I. In a press conference held on Tuesday, Chief Executive Officer Oscar Alonzo reiterated the stance that the B.S.C.F.A. has taken, offering instead to sign a one-year agreement with the miller. […]
Written on November 29, 2023 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Environment |
Comments Off on Ministerial Subcommittee Comments on Sugar Woes in the North
The Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association continues to reiterate the position that its members have taken ahead of the 2023-2024 sugar crop. Despite the need to sign a commercial agreement for the sale and purchase of sugar cane, BSCFA maintains that it will only sign on to a one-year contract with the miller. For its […]
Written on November 28, 2023 | Posted in
Agriculture,
People & Places |
Comments Off on BSCFA Won’t Budge on 4-year Commercial Agreement with B.S.I.
Earlier this month, the interim commercial agreement between BSCFA and the miller expired. According to C.E.O. Alonzo, in 2021 and 2022, the association negotiated with B.S.I. to conclude a new commercial agreement. Even with mediation, their attempt at arriving at a new contract ultimately failed. This led to a call for a commission of inquiry. […]
Written on November 28, 2023 | Posted in
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Economy |
Comments Off on BSCFA, “Only way forward is Commission of Inquiry”
Also on the BSCFA/B.S.I. timeline was a request for government intervention. This was done through the establishment of a ministerial subcommittee made of several three individuals, including Minister of Agriculture Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa and Minister of State Oscar Mira. Oscar Alonzo, C.E.O., Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association “We […]
Written on November 28, 2023 | Posted in
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Environment |
Comments Off on C.E.O. Alonzo on B.S.I., “Any negotiation would still be futile.”
A new sugar crop is set to begin in the weeks ahead and Belize Sugar Industries, much like the cane farmers across the north, is preparing for the upcoming season. On Wednesday, B.S.I.’s financial director, Shawn Chavarria, provided an update on how that process is coming along, as well as what can be expected from […]
Written on November 23, 2023 | Posted in
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Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on B.S.I. Prepares for Upcoming Sugar Crop
Earlier today, the Belize Sugar Industries Limited provided an update on a proposed commercial agreement that has been presented to the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association. In a media briefing this afternoon, B.S.I.’s Finance Director, Shawn Chavarria spoke on the latest developments in the sugar industry. Shawn Chavarria, Finance Director, B.S.I. “Last week, we […]
Written on November 22, 2023 | Posted in
Agriculture,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Where is B.S.I. on Commercial Agreement with BSCFA?
We’ve been reporting on the citrus industry being on life support; the once booming sector that, at its peak, was exporting millions of boxes of juices annually. It has been holding on by a thin thread, producing less than a million boxes yearly. The industry was hit by citrus greening years ago and has never […]
Written on November 1, 2023 | Posted in
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People & Places |
Comments Off on G.O.B. to Resuscitate Citrus Industry in the South
The Prime Minister also reacted to the record sugar cane price that stakeholders in the industry realised this year. On Monday, A.S.R./B.S.I. announced that all cane farmers’ associations with whom it conducts business received eighty-six dollars and twenty-eight cents per ton of cane. It’s the highest in eight years, which the PM says is good […]
Written on November 1, 2023 | Posted in
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Economy,
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People & Places |
Comments Off on PM on Sugar Price: Increase Production, Better Prices
If you’ve been going to major supermarkets in several municipalities, including Belize City, you would find that there is no sugar on the shelves. As early as the beginning of October, residents had been complaining of a sugar scarcity, despite the millers saying that there is no shortage of plantation white sugar. It is because […]
Written on November 1, 2023 | Posted in
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Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Sugar Scarcity Spreads; What’s G.O.B.’s Intervention?
The American Sugar Refinery/Belize Sugar Industries Limited (A.S.R/B.S.I) issued a press release today, informing of a record cane price that was distributed to all the cane farmers’ associations with whom it conducts business. The price of eighty-six dollars and twenty-eight cents per ton of cane is a new record for B.S.I. The last record high […]
Written on October 30, 2023 | Posted in
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Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on B.S.I Announces Record Cane Price Earned for Cane Farmers Associations
But while the profit margins are bigger this year for cane farmers, there are quite a few areas where those added funds could be used to improve the quality of the cane they produce. Chavarria encouraged the cane farmers to give consideration to putting the profits to use so that the problems they face collectively […]
Written on October 30, 2023 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on B.S.I. Encourages Farmers to Invest the Monies in the Fields
There has been a lower supply of over a hundred and sixty-four thousand metric tons of sugar. Chavarria says that the drought in 2019 impacted the 2020 crop significantly, but they believe the lower supply also had more than one contributing factor. Another reason was that some of the fields needed to be replanted. But, […]
Written on October 30, 2023 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
Featured |
Comments Off on Chavarria: A New Commercial Agreement Might Soon Be in Place with BSCFA
There is no shortage of plantation white sugar from the miller. That’s what B.S.I. confirmed today, amid reports of a sugar scarcity in various municipalities. The steep cost of that commodity in neighboring Guatemala and Mexico has apparently led to Belizeans transporting large quantities of sugar across the border where it can be sold for […]
Written on October 4, 2023 | Posted in
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Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on B.S.I. Says There’s No Shortage of Sugar at the Mill
And one of those agriculture industries that the PM says is underperforming is the citrus industry. The Minister of Agriculture, Jose Mai says the government has undertaken numerous initiatives recently to help to increase performance in citrus. We spoke with Minister Mai about the support being offered and the outlook for the industry. Jose […]
Written on September 27, 2023 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Government of Belize to Offer Relief to Citrus Industry
El Salvador’s Minister of Agriculture, Oscar Enrique Guardado and a technical team have wrapped up a two-day visit to Belize, where they toured selected farms. The purpose of the trip was to explore the possibility of Belize providing that Central American neighbor with produce that they consume on a daily basis. It is all part […]
Written on September 27, 2023 | Posted in
Agriculture,
Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on El Salvador Looks to Belize for Grain
