7 News Belize

Cane Industry At Crisis Crossroads
posted (February 8, 2011)
The cane season is at a crisis crossroads tonight after Belize Sugar Industries today announced that it will have to shut down for three weeks.

The problem is a turbine that feeds the BELCOGEN co-generation plant. IT started giving trouble two weeks into the season - and has reached the point where it must be repaired.

The stoppage sells crisis for a cane season when everything has to go just right for the crop target to be met. And now something has gone very wrong right in the middle of the season.

We spoke with Alfredo Ortega, the Chairman of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association about what the stoppage means:..

Alfredo Ortega, Chairman, BSCFA
"They are experiencing huge problems with the turbines in the Belcogen area, in the Belcogen plant. If this trend continues they might only be able to have operations up until Thursday. According to them they need at least 3 weeks for them to solve this problem because they have to dismantle the turbine completely."

Jules Vasquez
"How do you all recover from something like this? Are you all able to salvage the season after a three weeks stoppage?"

Alfredo Ortega, Chairman, BSCFA
"Well really Mr. Jules what we can see is that we continue experiencing good weather as we have at this point in time. This delay of three weeks means that we will be having 3 more weeks delay in the crop where we had propose that we will have a end time, but with this 3 weeks more, that means that it will throw out 3 weeks more in the end and we hope that we don't have heavy rains in that point in time. If there are heavy rains at that point in time you know that the negative effect of it will affect not only the farmers that will be harvesting at that point in time but it will affect the entire industry for this problem."

Jules Vasquez
"Mr. Ortega, are you worried?"

Alfredo Ortega, Chairman, BSCFA
"Of course yes I am worried because we are experiencing at this point that many farmers are just getting out of their canes that were left in the last crop. There are many farmers that continue to have some of these canes and that means that we will be having 3 weeks more in delays so that means that more cane will be drying up in this kind of hangover that we have and the delays will really create some economic hardship to farmers."

Jules Vasquez
"Earlier I outline a scenario if it rains you might not realize your targets, if the weather is good you will. Speaking from your gut what is your instinct?"

Alfredo Ortega, Chairman, BSCFA
"Well I do believe Mr. Jules that we will be able to reach the target."

Ortega says BSI management has informed them that the turbine problem was an unforeseeable event. For this year's cane season to be considered successful - the farmers would have to deliver 1.1 million tonnes of cane within the 30 week crop period. With the crop period shortened by three weeks, a full 10%, all players have to hope they can make it up on the bake end of the season.

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize