On a related note, Minister of Agriculture Mai has conceded that the price of packaged sugar should go up - but he sees this under an entirely new pricing regime:
Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture
"We haven't discussed in the cabinet, but we are doing numbers. I think that an increase in price has to occur at some point for packaged sugar, and it has to be a total different package. It cannot be the one-size-fits-all, where this is the price control for this sugar and done."
"It has to be packaged sugar. It has to be industrial -type sugar, and it has to be zoned. Corozal and Orange Walk has a price. San Pedro has a price. The cost of getting to San Pedro is expensive. Toledo has a price, and so on."
"So it is a total program of payment that has to be implemented. But maybe we can move ahead with the packaged sugar. I think we should give it some consideration, because the consumer has the option - I prefer to buy this sugar in a package, or I prefer to buy this plastic bag that's not a package. I support that we need to have packaged sugar, and that the price must be on that. Increase the price on that."
"You add your packaging, you have a markup for those who want to buy packaged sugar. Not increasing price overall. Not overall. Absolutely not. No, absolutely not. I don't support that."
Presently, the controlled price of white sugar is no more than 75 cents per pound.
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