But one burning public issue that Vega has to comment on is the impasse in the sugar industry. He's the Deputy PM, the Minister of Agriculture and the UDP's political boss in the north. The sugar standoff is so huge it touches all three of those spheres of influence.
But, right now, the sugar industry is also a sort of political third rail, too highly charged for any elected official to come down squarely on either side of the issue.
So today, Vega was perhaps deliberately vague on what the government will do:..
Hon. Gaspar Vega, Minister of Agriculture
"All we can do is continue to encourage them to come around the table and ensure that both parties compromise as much as possible for us to be able to start a crop with at the best, the least challenges possible. I think that we cannot start dictating or demanding. We have to negotiate, we have to come around the table. Like I always say gone are the days when you can pull a stick and pull a machete or whatever the case may be. We have to learn to negotiate with each other. I still believe that there is room for that and we shouldn't give up on it."
Jules Vasquez
"Would you advocate for a situation where ASR/BSI directly enters into contractual relationships with independent small farmers? Or in your opinion should it be having the association as a go-between?"
Hon. Gaspar Vega, Minister of Agriculture
"I always believe that once the farmers are united, they will have strength. It is common knowledge, so of course I would prefer that, but also w have to realize that like everything else people at this time want to deliver cane. A lot of farmers have commitments with the banks. At one time banks use to take their quotas as collateral. Today that doesn't work anymore. So a lot of farmers have their houses as collateral at the banks. They cannot afford to risk that, so I can see the uneasiness of some farmers that they are willing to deliver their cane. In fact, it's not that they are willing, they know that they have to. Otherwise they won't have a shed over their heads."
Reporter
"Last year this was something that happened and then it reached a stalemate; BSI held to its position and the same thing with the Belize Sugarcane Farmers Association, then the government came in and spoke to BSI and there was a compromise for the signing for an interim agreement. Is the government prepared to do sometime similar as we approach the end of the month with the schedule start of the crop season is due?"
Hon. Gaspar Vega, Minister of Agriculture
"We don't want certain things to be repeated. But again, I have to say that the government is just a facilitator; whatever we can do, we will do for the benefit of the industry."
Jules Vasquez
"What ASR/BSI is proposing is sort of a regulation free environment where they would engage in commercial arrangements with reaping groups or farmers and in fact it would leave the association or the government out of it. It's like you deal with me, I pay you what's on this contract - end of story. Shouldn't the government be there to insulate the small farmers against being taken advantage of?"
Hon. Gaspar Vega, Minister of Agriculture
"The governments' role is to always ensure that the less advantage is protected and we will always do that. How we do it, we have to be careful because like I said we do not have the power to tell BSI what to do or tell the Belize Sugarcane Farmers Association what to do. If a group of farmers come to us for help, for assistance or guidance, most definitely we would be there to do that."
And while government "isn't giving up on it" - whatever that means - the Cane Farmers Association is moving ahead with plans for a general membership meeting on Saturday where it will plan its next move.
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