And that old saying about the elephants fighting and only the grass getting trampled holds true in this case - except it's not the grass getting trampled, it's more like the turkey on your table. This year, tens of thousands of pounds of turkey will be imported - and that's because local turkey producers did not go into full production mode this year, because of the Avian Influenza scare. So, Quality Poultry Products for example has 5 refrigerated containers with two hundred thousand pounds of Butterball turkeys waiting at the port in Santo Tomas Guatemala. But the agent won't put it on the ship unless they get a guarantee that the Port of Belize will be operational and able to off load the ship. And, right now, that is not forthcoming. So, that means Quality Poultry's turkeys - which could end up being the turkey on your table - is held in the balance. We spoke to the general manager of quality Poultry about his costly dilemma:
Raymond Barkman, GM - Quality Poultry Products
"Well obviously there is a lot at stake here. We have imported turkeys on there. We have 40,000 broiler eggs on that ship and so yes it affects us severely. And this one even more so because we have turkeys on it which we are out of. There are so many people banking on these turkeys for giveaways and lunch and meals and everything."
Jules Vasquez
"How long can you all wait for this container?"
Raymond Barkman, GM - Quality Poultry Products
"Well we cant. I mean the damage has been done. There is almost 40,000 eggs that are going back to Miami. The damage is done as being on the ship and obviously the turkeys, it takes a little while to get everything going organized and obviously we want these turkeys out for Christmas right. We need it immediately. Everyone is crying for turkeys."
Jules Vasquez
"So, any way this is resolved, you are likely to lose something."
Raymond Barkman, GM - Quality Poultry Products
"Whichever way around it goes, I will lose. Because when this happens what I see is price raise. Of course we take the hit. The public doesn't feel the money. You just move on and forget right. Come on guys, this is asking for a price increase in product. This hurts the private sector so much, the Belizean economy - everything."
Barkman said if the shipment does not come, it could cost him half a million dollars. He told us that if there is no resolution, he is investigating the possibility of getting another shipment and sending it through Mexico and then bringing it by road to Belize.
Seaboard, the agent which is bringing in Barkman's turkeys - says it has a total of 65 containers - mostly CHRISTMAS stuff - stuck in Santo Tomas waiting for a resolution to the Port dispute.
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