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There is trouble in the north at the Tower Hill Sugar Factory as the Belize Cane Farmers Association has called for a general strike. The decision came this evening after a one day strike which shut down the Tower Hill Factory. At ten this morning farmers from the Corozal District refused to take their cane into the factory to process.

The issue is a new piece of equipment called a core sampler which tests the quality of cane before it goes into the factory for grinding. The lower the quality, the lower the volume of cane that is usable, the less money the farmer takes home. And after a few weeks with the sampler – many farmers realized that their end of season payout would be significantly diminished. By significant we mean, some farmers could end up getting as much as six dollars less per tonne less than what they would have under the old regime. A small truck carries about 12 tonnes – and for an optimum load, a farmer could earning about forty three dollars per tonne.

But some of them are down to thirty six dollars per and now the majority position is that the farmers want the core sampler taken out of the process completely. There has been discussion that the location of the sampler puts the farmers at a disadvantage and that moving it could be a solution. But not for this season – and now the association says it is going on an indefinite general strike, meaning no delivery of sugar cane to the miller until the matter has been resolved.

It’s a critical industry at the height of the harvest and so the development is no small matter. And with so many livelihoods in the balance, it’s also volatile which is why up to this evening, the riot squad was stationed on the compound at the BSI. We’ll have an update tomorrow.