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Tonight, there is a tentative agreement that could end the deadlock in the sugar industry. At this minute, a proposal hammered out over hours of negotiation led by the Prime Minister, is going to the. General membership of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association by the leaders of that growers group.
Our team is heading there as well to see if it will be accepted - but, Just a few minutes ago, the Minister of Agriculture Jose Mai told the media, he is hopeful:
Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture
"We did arrive at what we believe is a workable agreement for the farmers. We cannot disclose right now the details of the agreement because they are going back to their membership right now and will explain to them in detail what the agreement is. I want to, I'm hoping that this agreement they will accept and I think it's the best interests of everyone that we sign this agreement so we move on."
"I must give credit to the Prime Minister who today was extremely, extremely convincing to both sides he worked very hard to convince the ASR personal. And he also worked very hard to convince the members of the BSCFA. I want to thank him for that. I would like to thank the leaders of the BSCFA. And I also want to thank my technical team from the Ministry of Agriculture who have worked diligently for the past three weeks trying to reach to a solution. I hope I am not speaking too fast because we still have to wait for the membership of the BSCFA to accept."
Reporter:
"How confident are you that they will accept?:
Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture
"We reached almost everything that they had requested. Of course when you negotiate you must give up something. You receive something and you have to give up something. So I believe that both sides may not be happy but they are sarisfied with the agreement that we have today. So I want to end with a statement."
Reporter:
"I know you can't go into details, but can you talk about maybe some of the main hurdles that prolonged this arduous the hurdles"
Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture
"As you all know; one the fair trade, two the terms of the agreement, three the new fees."
"These were the main sticking points that really raised a lot of concern on both sides. I hope I am not speaking too fast but we hope that the members will accept our proposal."
Reporter:
"The throughput and the terminal cost. I know that those were two main points of contentions. And my question is, as a cane farmer sir, have you all being charged or have you been charged those terminal cost and that throughput cost but maybe what may be in another way of wording?"
Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture
"Well I think that from what we have been hearing and from some of the discussion there is a charge, that was done last year and so that has to be sorted out between the BSCFA and BSI ASR."
Reporter:
"Sir, and just the last thing for me, I know you said you can't go into details, but once the agreement is signed today when will the association begin delivering cane."
Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture
"I think that has to be done immediately. We need to start the crop immediately. Like I said earlier in the interview this morning, that no one is winning this war, no one. The mill is operating at a lost, the cane farmers are delivering at a lost an nobody wins a war. So it is in the best interest that we start to deliver as soon as possible."
"So that we can get constant milling, get the plant to be operating efficiently and get the farmers to be delivering and that will definitely improve the quality of cane and efficency in milling."
