This morning, the 2016-2017 Sugar Cane Season, known in the north as "La Zafra" opened, and ASR/BSI accepted the first cane deliveries for the new grinding season. As they do every year, the factory owners, the farmers, and the Government made a ceremony of it to mark its importance for the Sugar Industry.
Today's start is on time once again, and that's important because preliminary estimates that there are currently just under 1.4 million tonnes of cane in the fields - which is considered a large crop. Our news team went to Orange Walk to witness the opening of the season, and Daniel Ortiz reports:
Daniel Ortiz reporting
Outside of the Tower Hill Factory, all the stakeholders gathered for the annual opening of the Sugar Season. Those within the cane farming community, the millers, the Government, and the regulators were all ready to get started, hoping to make the most of the season as they possibly could.
Mac McLachlan - Representative, ASR/BSI
"We're starting this year around about the same time as last year but the big difference is the weather. It's rained a little bit here but it's basically been a lot dryer. This is a La Nina experience in the weather at the moment which means we're hoping it will be a dryer crop. Last year we had a lot of water and a lot of mud coming into the mill. It slows the process and it reduces the quality of the sugar. As with anything agricultural, we are in the hands of God above and whatever weather comes along for the crop. Everything's ready and we're hoping to make a good start this year with high quality."
And for symbolic effect, the representatives from the 3 cane farming associations, Adalid Wicab from Belize Sugar Cane Farmers, Cosme Hernandez from the Progressive Sugar Cane Producers, and Elvis Canul from the Corozal Sugar Cane Producers all lined up to throw the first pieces of harvested cane into one of Tower Hill's dumping tables.
That signaled the official start, and farmers immediately pulled into the factory with their cane deliveries. The clock is running down and the industry is preparing for a transition, because come October 2017, European Beet Sugar will compete directly cane sugar coming from the ACP countries like Belize.
Mac MacLachlan
"What we're talking about really is a reduction in the price paid for sugar in Europe. From the first of October 2017, 80% of the sugar in Europe is produced from Beet Sugar and that has always been constrained by quotas. Those quotas will be lifted and Beet sugar producers can produce as much sugar as they like in the European Market. There will still be a room for cane sugar to be entered and refined in our refineries both in Europe and in the UK. But we can expect the prices to fall basically to the world level. We can never predict what those prices will be but it's likely they'll be certainly lower than the prices enjoyed in recent years by ACP preferential suppliers."
Still, the New Agriculture Minister, Godwin Hulse, beamed with positivity about this cane season, the last before market shift that is coming with the removal of the EU beet sugar restrictions.
Hon. Godwin Hulse - Minister of Agriculture
"When I spoke to the cane farmers last week in a meeting, I reminded them that I work with only the positive C's - No confusion, no criticism, no controverts, no crisis, but corporation, common ground, communication, camaraderie and that is the way we want to go, and consensus. So, whatever difficulty we have, we will solve by communication, we will solve by consensus, we will solve by corporation. We are one people in one country with one industry and we're going to move forward in this industry. We must always rid ourselves of the negatives. Any negatives whatsoever in this industry, there's no place for it - cant, don't know, bad - all those dismissed and find a way how we can grow, improve and roll together. Have a great start of the crop, the first truck has rolled in I see. May we have a great crop, may everybody win and may this be the best one ever."
As for the farmers, they are ready for the 6 months of delivery.
Daniel Ortiz, 7News
"Are you all prepared for day 1 of 2016/2017 crop season delivery?"
Cosme Hernandez - Representative, Progressive Sugarcane Producers Association
"Generally I would say yes. We've had our challenges but we're eager to start crop and hope we can grind everything for this crop. If you know, we have estimated a 1.394 million tons of sugar cane in the fields and the weather is nice right now. I'm looking forward to it."
Elvis Canul - Chairman, Corozal Sugar Cane Producers Association
"All our cane farmers are looking for today's date to start off the crop. This is the main income for most of our farmers and they definitely look forward to this date as the beginning of the crop and bringing all the cane that they have in the field to the mill."
Mac McLachlan
"Sugar continues to be a major part of our lives in the North, it's also a major part of the economy of Belize. It brings hard currency into this country, it provides employment and opportunities for a large percentage of people especially in the northern districts of Corozal and Orange Walk. It's not just a job."
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