The 2013/2014 sugar cane season has been put delayed after the Belize Sugar Industries, BSI and American Sugar Refinery; ASR would not meet the demands made by the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association, BSCFA. BSCFA is asking payment for bagasse which they say is a bi-product of sugar cane while BSI and ASR have made it quite clear that no payment would be made because they don’t consider bagasse a bi-product. A common ground has not been found even though the Deputy Prime Minister, Gasper Vega and Prime Minister Dean Barrow have met with both sides. The government’s role is to bring both parties to the table to that there can be an amicable solution and today both Vega and Barrow met with representatives of ASR. Vice President of ASR, Ricardo Lima, would not speak much about the situation, however; Prime Minister Dean Barrow explained to the media the status of the negotiations.
RICARDO LIMA
“We continue to find ways to try and bring the farmers back to the table that’s basically what I wanted to say.”
HIPOLITO NOVELO
“Have you sent out an email to them or any sort of thing to the president of the association?”
RICARDO LIMA
“Not yet.”
RT. HON. DEAN BARROW
“We’ve put our position to ASR. They will now reflect on that, consult among themselves; without actually saying tomorrow or the day after, they said they will get back to us in the shortest possible time.”
REPORTER
“So is ASR still sticking to its position that bagasse is not a bi product of sugar cane?”
RT. HON. DEAN BARROW
“They will give us an answer on our position and you know what our position is. So, until they give us that answer I can’t say what the mindset is. Listen, to us we had a frank discussion but I don’t even know if those who are here can make the decision on their own; I believe there are other principals with whom they must speak before they can give us a final answer. Both sides have agreed that it has to be sooner rather than later time’s a wasting and we need for the crop to start and we need to fix the roads. So they are well aware of that. It is well within their interest to give us that answer as quickly as possible. So we have no doubt that they will do that. ASR is a global company ok? The people that are here are extremely high level but I don’t’ think that they can make the decision without the input of perhaps the rest of their board. There are other principals, there are 10 key people, they couldn’t send the whole 10 and so they need to consult with other principals that are just as higher ranking as they are.”
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