But, while Prime Minister Briceno and his government try to court new entrepreneurs to do business in Belize, what is his plan for resolving the business conflict that continues to simmer in the Sugar Industry?
As we told you, ASR/BSI, one of the largest and most recent foreign direct investors, find themselves once again at odds with the Cane Farmers. The Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association and the millers are at an impasse because the BSCFA wants to renegotiate their commercial agreement. The farmers have requested to meet with the Prime Minister, and we understand that the two sides are waiting to see how the Government will intervene.
We asked the Prime Minister about that today at the Investment Summit, and here's what he had to say:
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Well, I don't think that the government can go in and settle their differences. What we can do is to act as the referee between both of them. I think both of them make valid points and it's just a matter of sitting down and having a conversation, not talking above each other, but with each other to try to come to a reasonable compromise. BSI understands that their investment is worth nothing without the farmers and the farmers also understand that their investments is worth nothing without the sugar mill, so it is the farmers and BSI, they are connected at the hip, one can't live without the other. I do plan to meet with the associations sometime next week and I believe that we will be able to find a compromise and to get the crop going. The important thing is that people need to work, the farmers want to deliver their cane and BSI needs to deliver as much sugar as they possible can to be able to see to not only locally but to the Caribbean and to their customers."
