| Yesterday in his press conference, the Prime Minister discussed the ongoing difficulties at BSI, where the owner of the plant, ASR and the Cane farmers are locked in a seemingly intractable dispute over the price for bagasse. The government has offered to pay for an independent expert to step in and mediate a dispute, but ASR rejected that. Today at an end of crop press conference in Orange Walk, ASR executive Mac McLachlan, the international advisor for ASR, explained why they don't want an outsider coming in:..
Mac McLachlan, international advisor for ASR
"This is a commercial issue. It's an issue about the supply and usage of sugarcane to produce sugar and basically that has to be negotiated between the two parties. It's a commercial issue, as in any commercial discussion as the Prime Minister said that's not the role of government and obviously he is helping to facilitate the process but at the end of the day this has to come down to a commercial agreement between ourselves and the cane farmers."
Reporter
"Any idea when you will go back to the negotiating table?"
Mac McLachlan, international advisor for ASR
"We are always dispose to continue that discussion because we all need it. There can be no cane industry without a mill and there can be no mill without the cane industry and I think everybody understand that basic fact, so we are dispose to discuss that further into discuss a proper commercial agreement that respects both sides in a respectful and mature way and we look forward to getting on with that."
McLachlan also told our colleagues at CTV-3 why as invested parties and partners, BSI/ASR and the Cane Farmers have to work out the agreement on their own:..
Mac McLachlan, international advisor for ASR
"The Prime Minister has often said in the past that he would like to help facilitate solutions to this issue but we were able to point out to the Prime Minister which he understood and accepted that this is actually a commercial issue. Its between two commercial partners. Its not something that can be arbitrated on from the outside, its something that has to be dealt with and understood and spoken about rationally between two commercial partners. What we are keen to have because we have no agreement at the moment with BSCFA. We want to negotiate a new agreement that will stand the test of time; an agreement that will set this industry up for the future to give clarity to both the cane farmers and BSI for the future and we look forward to having an opportunity to do that, but I'll stress again, its a commercial issue between two commercial players and we believe that's how it should be conducted."
Reporter
"So, in no way did BSI/ASR refuse that offer out of malice?"
Mac McLachlan, international advisor for ASR
"The point is that everybody is trying to help and we appreciate that but what I am trying to explain is that this is a commercial issue between two commercial players that supply the cane and that mill the cane and it has to be undertaken on the basis of a commercial discussion between those two parties - that's what we explained to the Prime Minister."
As you heard in our story, the farmers have given their negotiating team until October 15 to come up with a signed agreement.
| 