The opening of the sugar crop - known as La Zafra - It's the biggest event of the year on Belize's Agricultural calendar - but tonight a cloud of uncertainty hangs over it...
And that's because the standoff remains between ASR/BSI and the largest group of cane growers - the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association.
And tonight - it's more than a standoff; ASR/BSI has issued a press release accusing the BSCFA of disrupting the start of 2021- 2022 crop.
The two sides had a meeting yesterday and ASR/BSI says it ended with threats and intimidation concerning the scheduled start of the crop on Monday.
And fuel was added to tat this morning when the government controlled Sugar Industry Control Board issued a statement saying "the SICB will convene a meeting of the Board to discuss and deliberate on the present impasse between BSI and BSCFA and decide on the way forward for the start of the grinding season.
Until the Board has caused to be published the commencement of the grinding season, it is unlawful to commence the delivery and grinding of sugarcane." That's a serious statement and BSI's Communications Officer William Neal discussed the development with the press via Zoom today:
William Neal, Communications Officer, BSI
"We were a little bit concerned that BSCFA indicated that they were not going to start the crop on Monday as was agreed to at the SICB meeting. We questioned if they were not going to participate or if they were going to instead do something to make sure that the crop did not start for anyone and he said tak it as you see it. We are concerned and dissapointed that that would have been their response at the end of the meeting."
"Today, the SICB chairman issued a letter saying that the crop is in jeopardy of not being legally able to be started, because it has not been gazetted. The practice has been in the industry that if the stakeholders meet and agree on a start date, it then proceeds and that the announcement by the chairman is more a fomality than a neccessity, so at this late juncture, this being the 17th of December after 3pm we are still influx as to where we are with the start of the crop. However, BSI is prepared to start and the 3 other associations have indicated that they are willing to proceed as well."
Jules Vasquez
"Do you feel undermined as an investor, because now you are seeing this sort of red tape, these beureaucratic phantoms from the SICB saying well we cant do it, because it needs to be in the gazette. It really seem so incredibly retrograde."
William Neal, Communications Officer, BSI
"To do that at this late juncture and to call a meeting without saying when the meeting would be held, but to say that its because the start of crop was not gazetted is worrysome and seen as perhaps an obstructionist approach to actually getting the crop started on Monday."
"When you have issues of nature at this late juncture, you cant help but wonder what is the objective. The government has indicated repeatedly that they do not want to see` any disruption. However, if you have the SICB chairman saying that there is a procedural oversight that is within his perview that needs to be completed before the crop is able to start. You can only guess that this action is being taken by the representative of the government that there is permission to go ahead and go this route. We cant see anything other or we cant think anything other to say that there is deliberate attempt delay the start of the crop."
"We want to make sure that the signal coming from the government is not neccessarily something that is operating in an area of grey, that when we meet with the prime minister and other ministers, they're saying one thing, but you have government officials doing something to the contrary. I think that is a contradictory message and thats what we would like to see clarity in terms of what the government's position is and that the ministry acts accordingly."
Jules Vasquez
"So what will happen on Monday morning, William?"
William Neal, Communications Officer, BSI
"We have written to the SICB chairman asking for a definitive response by tomorrow, so that we can proceed to make the mill ready for our start on Monday. We are hoping that we will receive a definitive answer from him by tomorrow and we will be able to proceed."
