7 News Belize

The BSI Tower Hill Factory will resume operations on Sunday morning at ten - after a three and a half week shutdown. Factory managers confirmed this morning that the repaired turbine has passed the loading test and is cleared for full operation.
So on Sunday morning, trucks will start queuing up to make deliveries. But, with the stoppage, the target of cane deliveries for the season has been pared down from 1.163 million tons to 1.05 million tons.
That's because during the three and a half week stoppage - some fields had to be burnt. And in an unusual act of concerted goodwill BSI, the Government of Belize and The Cane Farmers Association have agreed to provide some assistance to those farmers who lost cane while the plant was shut down.

That's what came out of a stakeholders meeting yesterday in Orange Walk and Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega told us more:..

Hon. Gaspar Vega, Deputy Prime Minister
"And for the first time, we had a meeting where it was full productive, everybody was amazed, and I will tell you the truth, I still feel excited over that meeting. The biggest concern was, the people that had their cane fields burnt, whether by accident, which we expect it was, and what we are going to do to help these people, between all stakeholders we decided that, all cane farmers who lost their cane field, we are going to be helping them with ten dollars per ton and also we will be giving them two bags of fertilizer per acre. We cannot pay them for the actual value of the cane because it's just impossible, but we are trying to assist as best possible, but the most exciting part, Jules, is that between the three partners, we all agree that the three of us are going to get involved and come up with aid for the farmers. And I believe that for the first time, I mean to say, two years ago, you remember what was going on in Orange Walk, but it's like night and day now Jules, and that is what gives me so much excitement, so much happiness then."

Jules Vasquez
"Will you all be able to meet the projected target for this year?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega, Deputy Prime Minister
"Jules, we are expecting that if we maintain quality, we will make the sugar that we are expecting. The challenges are ensuring that we maintain the quality."

The projection is that if the quality remains high, even with slightly less cane delivered, the Factory will still be able to achieve its target for sugar production.