In other Agricultural news, Belize's government is suing St Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago after the fellow CARICOM member countries refused to purchase sugar from the Caricom Market.
Instead, they have both been buying from Guatemala without paying the tariffs required. Minister of Agriculture, Godwin Hulse, stated that there was no other choice but to take the matter to the CCJ.
Godwin Hulse, Minister of Agriculture
"Goods flow freely between the territories. If one of the territories have a particular good that another territory wants, it is require to import it from that territory. If it does not and he gets it extra regional, means outside of the community, then for the most part it supposed to pay what we called a CET (Common External Tariffe). In the case of sugar, Belize produces enough brown sugar to supply the needs of the community. While a lot of the sugar production reduced in the community because of other issues. Jamaica reduced, Barbados production reduced, Guyana was in difficulty. Belize actually increased. Belize ASR/Santander jointly produced enough sugar to sell into the Caribbean market which has the best price, but this suit is not about plantation rights, it's about brown sugar which has no quarrel at all. Brown sugar should be bought in the region and what has happened is that Trinidad and St. Kitts have been buying from Honduras and Guatemala for which is outside the region without buying the 40% CET and while we have had many requests at COTED and many back and back they continue to do it and so recourse is to go to the Caribbean Court of Justice."
Hulse says the sugar industry in Belize is suffering a loss of almost two million dollars due to the actions of St Kitts and Trinidad and Tobago.
