And today, we spoke to the prime minister about the impasse between the Belize Cane Farmers Association and BSI/ASR. With La Zafra quickly approaching and threats of protests, we asked him if he was concerned about things getting volatile. He explained that he will appeal to both parties to start negotiations now, while still honoring the previous agreement, at least for this crop season.
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I don't think it'll be volatile. I met with the Cane Farmers Association last Thursday, and I will be meeting with them tomorrow again to discuss the new proposal that they have. And we will be asking both parties that we that the crop should open in early December. I'm told that we have, according to Minister of Agriculture, we have over 1.3 million tons of cane on the ground. All we need to ensure that we could get all of that cane to the to the mills so that it can be turned into sugar and to sell because of the revenues that our farmers and BSI needs. We have to understand. We need to understand that both BSI and the cane farmers, their partners, they're joined at the hip. one can't do it the other. So what we will be doing is that I'll be meeting with him. I'll certainly be meeting with BSI and then I'll appeal to them, OK, the commercial agreement comes to an end in January. But if there is negotiations, good faith negotiations on both sides, then that means that if you can't have an agreement at that time because there's going to be a complex negotiation because the farmers are presenting a totally, completely different way of payments for the farmers that they wish which would take a long time. So I don't see that being finished by January. So what we will be asking both parties that as long as there is good faith negotiations, that the crop should open in December as usual has done and for the negotiations to continue as long as it takes to be able to all to come to an agreement and between now and then that the present commercial agreement will continue to be used or to operate."
