7 News Belize

Clear the Land or Burn The Fields?
posted (March 19, 2019)

As we told you last night, after our interview with UDP Belize Rural North area rep. Edmond Castro, his cane field in Isabella bank was set on fire. Well, turns out it wasn't only his Isabella Bank farm, his Santa Martha cane field was also burnt. 

It seems these fires are a spin off from the fight between PUP standard bearer for Belize Rural North Marconi Leal and one of Castro's generals Damion "Fello" Garbutt. 

Today we visited Castro's farm in Isabella Bank to see the damage first hand. We spoke to a resident who was in the area when the fire started. We also spoke to Castro about the magnitude of his loss and what he is doing to salvage his investment.

Voice of Area Residence
"I was at home at my grandfather's house and he was in the horse stable and he asked me where the fire the come from, where the smoke the come from but I mi think that somebody light the piece of bamboo. So we were not paying it no mind and then like 5 minutes after, we see fire in the cane field and then Mr. Castro cane field never on fire and then according to my uncle, he said somebody passed on a horse with a rag tied around his head and he said the person mi the eat cane. I don't think it's bush fire."

Hon. Edmond Castro - UDP Area Rep, Belize Rural North
"I was approximately after 3 yesterday evening when we received the news, that call was coming in the same time that a cane field that we have in Santa Marta was torched. I called my sons and we decided to deal with that one and about 5:30, 6 o'clock yesterday evening, I received a call that someone torched the 50 acre field in Isabella Bank. So I said what a coincidence."

Courtney Weatherburne
"So two of your farms were torched?"

Hon. Edmond Castro
"Torched within 3 hours of each other. So I don't know if it's coincidence but if it that is a big coincidence that this would occur 3 hours after. The first one which was definately not close by, so I don't know, I think it will be a great loss for us. We have approximately 72 hours to harvest and there is no way that we can harvest all this cane that is here. We are working with the situation, I think we have about 20 guys cutting, they told us they will be able to cut about a little over 100 tons per day - at Santa Marta. So they will be able to cut maybe 200 tons there by tomorrow and then they will try to come over here and see what they could rescue. So I think we are lucky if we could salvage 4 to 500 tons of cane when another 4 or 500 tons might be left in the field - it's a great loss, we will cut it out and try to feed cattle."

Courtney Weatherburne
"Do you have any idea who would want to torch your farms or what's behind it?"

Hon. Edmond Castro
"I can't even think, it would be unwise of me to try and blame someone but I think whoever did it, they could laugh about it but we will do our best to try and rebound and to try to harvest as much as we could so that we could - what else could we do. This is actually a serious charge, arson is a serious charge and for someone to go that low and try to burn down a field of 50 acres it's rough. So I don't know what their frame of mind or what they were thinking of or about and I hope it is not political violence that they are encouraging and political stupidness. I hope not, so I don't really want think that but let the general public decide and put one and one and maybe they get two and sometimes you get little bit more."

Courtney Weatherburne
"And again you have no personal issues with anyone for them to come and torch your field?"

Hon. Edmond Castro
"None at all, absolutely none at all."

A team from the Sugar Cane Production Committee was at the Isabella Bank farm assessing the damage. Castro has 50 acres of cane field in Isabella Bank and over 30 acres at his Santa Martha farm. Castro says the deadline to harvest all the cane is Friday. Castro does not believe this was an accident or just a bush fire. Our information is that police have a man in custody.

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