After BSI's warehouse tour and an introduction to their proposed commercial sugar packaged product to GOB, we also asked the minister what he thought about BSI's packaged product, more specifically what is keeping cabinet back from giving them the green light to sell it domestically. Here's what he had to say.
Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture
"Pre-packaged sugar was a part of the proposal proposed to us by BSI some months ago, before the crop ended. They had requested an increase in price for packaged sugar. I took that to cabinet. We used their proposal, we developed our proposal, and we went to cabinet and said, this is what BSI is proposing, but we are recommending this."
"Cabinet decided it was the best interest for us, it was best for us to wait until the Commission of Inquiry is over for us to address that increase in price because packaged sugar does not come only as packaged sugar, it comes at a cost."
"So they were requesting to increase the price for packaged sugar. I have not since received a proposal since then on that one, or at least I haven't seen one on my desk. But we are prepared to look at it and to see what is the cost that it would incur to bagged sugar."
"We've asked them in the last proposal to give us the figures of bagging sugar. What is the cost? They haven't given it to us yet, but we're still asking them, give us what is their cost, what is their added cost for bagging sugar. And we will analyze it and I can take it to cabinet again, if cabinet approves, then we move ahead. That's a decision for cabinet to make."
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