In the months of the sugar crop, thousands of laborers are employed in fields to plant and cut cane. The practice is as old as the history of the local sugar cane industry. But things are moving ahead and with new technology, cane cutters will someday, in the not too distant future, no longer be […]
To assist with the development of the strategic plan for the industry, ASR has brought in sugar consultant Modesto Ulloa. Ulloa’s role is to bring new ideas and technology to modernize the sugar industry in Belize to twenty-first century standards. In early January, B.S.I. complained that the quality of the sugar cane being delivered at […]
Carrot farmers in the Orange Walk District have reported that seventy percent of their produce has been rotting in the fields because government has been issuing licenses to select persons for the importation of the vegetable from Mexico. The Government has countered that claim saying that it allows carrots to be brought in only when […]
Government is proposing a bilateral arrangement with Guyana which it hopes will settle the controversy surrounding the importation of rice. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture Gaspar Vega, along with C.E.O. Jose Alpuche, returned from Georgetown, Guyana this afternoon where they met with several government representatives, including Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture Nigel Holder, to […]
According to Minister Vega, the effect of the meeting and the resultant agreement simply means that the sustainability of the local rice industry is of utmost priority, a roundabout way of saying that businessman Jack Charles has lost the fight to import Guyanese rice to Belize. Isani Cayetano “What does this specific outcome mean […]
Attorney Eamon Courtenay, who represents the Mennonite communities of Shipyard, Blue Creek and Spanish Lookout, has been following the situation closely. He explains the effects the proposed agreement would have on the rice producers. Eamon Courtenay, Attorney for Mennonite Community “The impression I have is that what Guyana and Belize are doing at the […]
From rice to carrots, the Ministry of Agriculture has had his hands full over the past few weeks. Last Friday, we reported on farmers in San Carlos, Orange Walk who have been complaining about the loss of root vegetables in the north. According to the growers, licenses have been granted to wholesalers in Belize City […]
Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega returns to Belize this Friday from Guyana where substantive discussions took place about rice and its importation into Belize. Belize is looking at a structured arrangement in respect of a bilateral agreement which would allow Guyanese rice into the local market but only when there is a shortage. The proposed […]
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Dean Barrow chimed in on the rice situation, reiterating that the ongoing state of affairs is not an issue between Belize and Guyana. He went on record to state that government was willing to grant businessman Jack Charles a forfeiture override to re-export the quantity of rice. The PM, however, minced […]
Today, the Belize Progressive Party weighed-in on the rice issue once again. In a previous release the party called for the government not to destroy the three containers of Guyanese rice that remain at the Big Creek Port in the south. In an interview today, the Party Chairman Paco Smith says that research shows that […]
Today stakeholders in the fight against child labour in sugar production met for its first ever concerted meeting. It included representatives from Fairtrade International, G.O.B. and CLAC, the Latin-American and Caribbean Network of Small Producers and Workers in Fairtrade. Fairtrade is the organization which pays the B.S.C.F.A. millions each year for its premium product and […]
The Latin American and Caribbean Network of Small-holder Producers and Workers, CLAC, has two missions – one is the representation of those producers to the outside world, and the other is the provision of technical assistance to organizations which is a part of CLAC. CLAC is playing a vital role in the formulation of a […]
Now turning to the issue of the Guyanese rice….Businessman Jack Charles has until January twenty-seventh to re-export three containers of the rice from Belize. That is the result of an agreement struck between the proprietor of Xtra House and the Ministry of Agriculture. This morning, attorneys Michel Chebat and Nigel Hawke, representing Jack Charles and […]
This afternoon, we managed to speak to Prime Minister Dean Barrow for his take on the Guyana rice situation. He told us that where it’s at right now is that he is awaiting a letter from Jack Charles to overturn the forfeiture order which will then allow the importer to export his rice, currently stored […]
There is another looming crisis within the agriculture sector to report on tonight, involving vegetables, particularly carrots, being imported from neighboring Mexico. The importation of produce from across the northern border is placing local farmers in the Orange Walk District at a great disadvantage. They complain that acres of root vegetables are rotting in fields […]
Harrison says that while there are approximately ten acres awaiting harvest in the north, there are other communities producing vegetables in various parts of the country. The issue, he concludes, is one of supply and demand, despite farmers controlling upwards of ninety percent of the market for carrots. On the Phone: Roberto Harrison, Chief […]
Is Jack Charles gearing up for another wave of attacks on the local rice industry? News Five can confirm tonight that the businessman has lodged a formal request to import ten containers of Guyanese rice into the country. This time however, it is presumed that all I’s will be dotted and T’s crossed, ahead of […]
Mora, as Secretary General of the Belize Energy Workers Union, also addressed the issue of the Guyanese rice sitting at the Big Creek Port in Independence. He says first, that as a consumer of the staple and given current economic conditions, the rice could be put to best use by humanitarian organizations and for feeding […]
The rice war between importer Jack Charles and various stakeholders, including producers in three Mennonite communities within the local industry, has been covered extensively since the issue resurfaced in early December and it continues so tonight. At the center of the standoff is whether or not rice from Guyana can be imported into the local […]
Among other issues pertaining to importation are specific conditions that safeguard markets within Lesser Developed Countries from being penetrated by goods being exported from More Developed Countries. Such is the case in Belize where it is being argued that the local rice industry should be protected by government from infiltration by Guyanese rice. Irwin […]
While a resolution in the Caribbean Court of Justice has not been determined, LaRocque says that the present issue is not a trade dispute. Instead, it primarily revolves around the SPS Agreement which deals with sanitary and phytosanitary measures dealing with animal and plant health. Reporter “Sir what is your vision in terms of […]
On Tuesday afternoon, businessman Jack Charles hastily applied for and was granted an injunction by the Supreme Court, restraining the Customs and Excise Department from taking possession of his shipment of rice. While the application did not include the necessary paperwork, earlier today that document was officially filed. The grounds for the application includes the […]
According to Courtenay, the proprietor of Xtra House had been given the option previously to seek damages once the cargo is turned over to customs. Why that alternative has not been pursued is anyone’s guess. Here’s what the attorney had to say. Isani Cayetano “Does it appear to be in any way maybe a […]
The 2015-2016 sugar crop season started on schedule back in December 2015, but all is not well in the industry. Inclement weather has been affecting the crop in the sugar belt. According to Vice President of International Relations for ASR, Mac McLachlan, the cane currently being milled contains mud and water, which in turn affects […]
The main stakeholders of the sugar industry in the north; that is representatives from ASR/B.S.I. and the three sugar cane farmers associations met today inside the conference room of the La Inmaculada Credit Unit in Orange Walk Town. The purpose of the meeting is to develop a sugar industry strategic development plan for the industry […]
