Today cane farmers launched another protest against BSI. The last time they only had eight, but this they had well over 100. And the difference in numbers is probably because farmers got their second payment on Wednesday and it was less than expected because the revenue from the lost molasses had to be written off. Today Fred Ortega said the message has been sent:..
Alfredo Ortega
"We would want to see a huge number of farmers but what is most important into this is the message that is going out that we are not happy. These farmers that are here is a message that is being given that we are not happy and we are not acceptant to bare any loss because of the negligence of BSI."
Reporter
"How do we see a reimbursement for this loss that has already been charged to the cane farmers in the second payment?"
Alfredo Ortega
"What we are seeking right now is we want to see what will be the response of the SICB (the Sugar Industry Control Board). A letter has been sent to them for their intervention, I spoke to the chairman and he said that he has not received any response as yet. The next move, if they continue with this step, and they don't want to respond then we need to go to them and see what is going on. as we clearly know, the Sugar Industry Control Board is the regulator and is the Referee when there is any dispute and in this case there is a dispute and we need their intervention to see that things happened where famers can be satisfied in regards to what is happening or that the farmers should be paid what BSI is not putting into for the farmers."
And ASR/BSI - which has developed a sudden fondness for press releases, sent another today saying, quote, "there was nothing to sell, (so) there was no revenue to share. As there was no specific culpability for the event, the lost opportunity to sell the affected molasses is a shared industry responsibility."
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