On Monday we told you how the cane farmers turned down the proposed bagasse compromise that the Prime Minister had hammered out with BSI/ASR. The compromise was that BSI/ASR had agreed to negotiate a price for bagasse, and would negotiate the exact price per tonne after the season started.
Well, the farmers decided that they want BSI/ASR to make a firm commitment to pay for bagasse before they deliver any sugar. Today BSI/ASR responded by saying the cane farmers approach quote, "must be fundamentally wrong." A release from BSI puts it as follows - and we quote, "
"If two parties (say A and B) have a major dispute and that dispute involves issues of law, it must be contrary to all concepts of fairness and principle for A to take the position that 'I WILL ONLY SIT AND ENTER INTO DISCUSSIONS WITH YOU IF YOU FIRST CONCEDE AND PUT IN WRITING THAT I AM RIGHT AND YOU ARE WRONG'."
BSI/ASR calls this intimidation and says, quote, "This approach puts at risk all stakeholders in this industry, including the entire country of Belize, and is… quite irresponsible and unreasonable."
The release adds gravely that, quote, "The danger to the sugar crop is now imminent. Should the crop be delayed beyond difficulties caused by the rain, the loss to farmers themselves would not only be substantial, they would be irreversible." End quote.
BSI says it stands ready to start the crop once the weather permits and to return to the negotiating table when that happens.
