There is a very ugly situation brewing in the village of Santa Marta in the Orange Walk District, and it involves squatting. Thirteen farmers cleared and cultivated five hundred and twenty acres of land decades ago. They have been working the land since then, primarily to grow cane. But the land is privately owned, part […]
Just after three this afternoon Orange Walk Police charged and formally arraigned Efrain Alpuche and Saul Vasquez on a single charge of arson. The men had been in custody since Monday when they were detained on suspicion of being involved in the burning of twenty acres of cane in San Lorenzo, the property of ASR/BSI. […]
Today at least six members of the Scenes of Crime Squad huddled around the blue Mazda pickup allegedly used by the men accused of burning the BSI fields. They were paying particular attention to the right side-view mirror of the vehicle, and while we weren’t allowed to get close, they processed the vehicle for well […]
Just before five this evening Efrain Alpuche managed to secure his bail, and spoke to the media as he exited the Police Station. He maintains his innocence and says he doesn’t understand how anybody could prove that he had anything to do with any burning of fields. Efrain Alpuche, Charged for Arson “Well it’s […]
On Monday two men were detained by Police on suspicion of burning canefields owned by ASR in the San Lorenzo area of Orange Walk Town. The detention is politically charged, since one of those men, Efrain Alpuche Jr., is closely linked to PUP politician Ramon Cervantes Jr. It is believed that there is evidence which […]
There is word of an apparent resolution to unrest in the sugar industry which had the potential to blow up into full-scale protest. Because of the lateness of an announcement after a meeting of the Sugar Industry Control Board on Monday evening, we were able to provide only the highlights, but tonight Mike Rudon probes […]
The thirtieth annual Crooked Tree Cashew Festival was held this weekend and as always, it was a spectacular showcase of that much loved fruit. But while the focus is on the cashew, over the years the event has expanded to include other seasonal fruits, local food, drinks and products which have served to attract visitors […]
A potential crisis in the sugar industry was narrowly averted when late this evening the Sugar Industry Control Board voted to suspend the decision to restructure quotas. That decision, made by the Sugar Cane Production Committee, SCPC, would have meant that quotas for all three associations delivering cane would have been cut. That spelt loss […]
A regional project inclusive of CARICOM member states seeks to strengthen fisheries food safety regulations. The purpose is for the Caribbean to be able to access the international markets for fishery products such as conch, fish, lobster and shrimp. Along with the Belize Agricultural Health Authority and the Fisheries Department, the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism […]
Thousands of Belizeans annually converge on Belmopan for the national agricultural and trade show, which was held over the weekend in the Old Capital. The three-day show celebrates agriculture, but over the years, the fair has also become a major event to spur economic activity for the private sector. This year, organizers improved the facilities […]
Two weeks ago, about forty workers at the Santander Green Tropics facility staged a small protest at the compound, citing chronic concerns which they say remained unaddressed by management. Over five hundred Belizeans are employed at the company, so those concerns prompted a visit by the Labour Department. Labour Commissioner Ivan Williams told News Five […]
According to Williams, and this is certainly not the first time this complaint has been ventilated, workers feel that they are not being given access to lucrative employment. They feel that the company favours the hiring of foreigners, many brought in from Guatemala, to do the jobs which pay more. That complaint has prompted the […]
So why aren’t Belizeans getting access to the higher paying jobs which require special skills? Well, because not many Belizeans have those skills. It’s as simple as that. Our vocational schools simple do not offer the level of certification required by the company. Williams says that this Santander ship has sailed where that is concerned, […]
As we mentioned earlier, Petrocaribe monies will be used to bail out C.P.B.L. It’s not the first time the company is being assisted, so to speak, by government. In fact it happened just last year when U.D.P. insider, Doug Singh, was placed at the helm. But the company is in trouble again, and apparently have […]
The Road Rehabilitation done in the area of San Narciso and san Victor will benefit the farmers and residents in those communities and in the vicinity. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s just a drop in the bucket. The industry is faced with major concerns because indications are that farmers across the board […]
When the crop got underway very late in January, the B.S.C.F.A. which controls a majority of growers, was in crisis mode. On two separate occasions, farmers at the general assembly had passed resolutions to pay themselves millions in Fairtrade funds – monies allocated for project. Back then Fairtrade had even issued a letter of caution […]
On Monday night, we told you about the employees who had gathered at the grounds of Santander because they had issues about salaries. Workers were complaining about payments they received on Friday, but according to Santander, it was really workers who were confused about the monies they received and that everything was resolved by the […]
Were Santander employees protesting salary issues this morning? Well, that was the word going around. Over twenty workers were in front of the company’s offices today querying about pay they received on Friday. According to a release issued by the Santander Group late this evening, the protest was the result of a misunderstanding which had […]
Tensions within the local rice industry are somewhat at ease tonight, following a meeting held earlier today with Minister of Natural Resources and Agriculture Gaspar Vega. The sit down saw the participation of other ministry officials and rice producers to prepare a roadmap for production. Agreed upon are the following: the draft revised standards for […]
Rice producers have finally spoken on the hot button issue of the importation of rice from Guyana. Since last week, it came to light that in May 2014, more than three million pounds of rice were imported in Belize at sixty nine cents per pound, re-bagged and then retailed at far above the controlled price. […]
The rice industry imbroglio continues without clear definition because government stakeholders in the Ministry of Agriculture have remained mum. Currently rice retails at over one dollar and twenty cents a pound, while importer Jack Charles maintains that he can import rice from Guyana which would then retail for around sixty-nine cents a pound. It’s got […]
The retail cost of rice on the local market remains a topic of discussion since last Thursday when Belize City businessman Jack Charles issued a release shedding light on seemingly exorbitant prices. Charles, proprietor of Xtra House, has expressed an interest in importing rice from Guyana at a cost, he argues, that would be significantly […]
Despite the argument that the local rice industry is self-sustained, over three million pounds of rice was brought into the country from Guyana in 2014. The importation, according to Rempel, was the result of a shortage attributed to crop failure, and the reason for not seeing packaged product bearing Guyanese brands is simply because the […]
The controlled price for locally produced rice is ninety cents per pound, but it is retailing anywhere between one dollar and twenty cents to one dollar and forty cents. This all came to light because businessman of Extra-House, Jack Charles, wants to import rice from Guyana and says he can bring it into the country […]
If you heard about the Santander Group before, the parent company of Green Tropics, it may have had to do with dredging within the Labouring Creek Jaguar Corridor Wildlife Sanctuary or the alleged spraying of crops in the Valley of Peace area. Today, it is a very different story because Santander invited the media to […]
