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With the country already in a recession it is fair to say for many families this Christmas will not be merry and in the north it’s looking downright scrooge-ish because of an already delayed sugar cane crop. It has been announced that on Monday fourteenth, the BSI factory will be open to start receive cane. It is noted as the first time in twenty years that the crop season will start so late.

In a report by CTV3, BSI explained that the delay was caused due to the fact that they are getting ready to commission the Bel-Cogen system and that the factory was not simply ready to receive cane. The cane farmers must be relieved about the opening scheduled in four days but there are concerns whether or not they will be able to deliver the amount and quality of cane required. BSI’s objective is to produce up to two million tons but for that to be achieved there would need to be great improvement in harvesting and delivery of cane

In the last two crop seasons, sugar production fell below the one million ton mark. The production of nine hundred and seventeen thousand, seven hundred and twenty eight tons was the lowest in almost two decades. 7News tried to reach both BSI’s Chief Executive Officer Joey Montalvo for comment and the Belize Cane Farmers Association’s Chairman Ismael Carillo but both men were unavailable.

We understand for most of the day the Cane Farmer’s Association executives were in meetings discussing these very same concerns. The cane farmers had to get bail out funding from government earlier this week.