For the second year in a row, cane farmers in northern Belize are celebrating a record-breaking final payment for their sugarcane. Today, Belize Sugar Industries (B.S.I.) announced that farmers will receive an impressive ninety dollars and ninety-five cents per ton for the 2024 crop. According to B.S.I., this price surge is driven by the continued growth of value-added sugar and robust sales, especially in the Caribbean market. We caught up with B.S.I.’s Financial Director, Shawn Chavarria, to get more insights into this historic price milestone.
Shawn Chavarria
Shawn Chavarria, Financial Director, B.S.I.
“For the second consecutive year that we have our record key in payment to farmers for the 2024 crop of ninety dollars and ninety-five cents and per our commercial agreement, this payment will be made on Monday, November fourth. As we’ve highlighted in the press release, this really comes at a good time for farmers as the industry is battling a new disease called fusarium, and it’s affecting the growth of the sugar cane. While it’s not pronounced throughout the industry, it’s mainly being seen in the Corozal District. It is something that the industry needs to pay close attention to, and there are certain preventative measures that we will need to put in place. And so, in terms of disposable income, this payment comes at a really good time, given it’s, it’s a record price, it’s one of the highest farmers will receive. And so, farmers will be able to have this additional funds. To be able to put in place some mitigation control. But it’s a it’s a good it will be a good day for farmers. We believe a lot of them will be very pleased with the campaign. And it continues to demonstrate the benefits of the commercial agreement where we’re sharing the value of the all the sugars that we produce, including the value of added sugar. Where we continue to get good prices, particularly in CARICOM, and we’re seeing good value for the sugar being produced. So it will be a good day. And, you know, we hope that farmers take this opportunity to use these funds to not only address fusarium, but also consider replanting. There are some programs that are coming on stream. The Green Climate Fund grant of twenty-five million U. S. We have AgroPro. Last week, we launched SmartGrow. We also know that there’s the CRESCAP from the World Bank, which will also provide grant funding. So the industry is really set up for the next few years to be able to improve its competitiveness. And so we hope that Farmers use this opportunity to take advantage and improve their productivity and improve their long term sustainability.”
Earlier this month, we reported on fusarium, the fungal disease that has cane farmers in the Corozal District on high alert as it rapidly spreads through their crops. These farmers remain vigilant as the disease, which causes wilting and yellowing of sugar cane, continues to pose a threat. The Sugar Industry Research and Development Institute is diligently managing the situation. Amidst this outbreak, the announcement of a record sugar cane price brings a mix of relief and concern. We spoke with Shawn Chavarria, the Financial Director of Belize Sugar Industries, to understand how this will impact the upcoming seasons.
Shawn Chavarria, Financial Director, B.S.I.
“The situation with fusarium is one that continues to develop. We’ve been bringing experts from outside of Belize to give us advice and recommendation on how to tackle it. B.S.I. had brought in experts from Mexico and also Florida to assist, evaluate the situation. They’ve made some very good recommendations, which we starting to take on board. In terms of the mill readiness, our objective remains for to get the plant ready for a start early December. We are actually targeting the ninth of December and the recommendation from the experts are also to try to start the crop early because with the fusarium, the cane will quality will just continue to deteriorate. And so the longer you wait, the more deterioration you will have. I think, honestly, for this coming crop, it will be a question of the fields. Are the fields in a good condition because of the amount of rainfall we’ve had that farmers will be able to get in and harvest their cane. So I think fields and I also think sugar roads because we know that the heavy rainfall has also been damaging sugar road. So I think those two factors might be the main issues that could affect a timely start to the crop. But from the mills standpoint we are targeting to be ready for the ninth of December and the experts are also advising us to try to start early so that you know, the facade room does not deteriorate the key in quality any further.”
A butcher is facing the loss of his firearm after he and his common-law wife were caught at home with unlicensed firearms and ammunition. Today, they appeared in court on five gun and firearm-related charges, including two counts of keeping a firearm without a license and three counts of keeping ammunition without a license. The couple, thirty-seven-year-old Aaron Marlon Castillo and twenty-nine-year-old Jacqueline Lizette Orellana, were apprehended on Saturday in the Buttonwood Bay area with two guns and over sixty live rounds of ammunition, all unlicensed. In the Magistrates’ Court, with their attorney Ronell Gonzalez present, the charges were read. Castillo, a father of six, pleaded guilty to all five charges, while Orellana pleaded not guilty. Castillo expressed regret for not renewing his license in July, explaining that he initially applied for it nine years ago due to previous attacks in his home and his status as a businessman. His attorney requested a fine instead of a prison sentence. The magistrate, considering Castillo’s acceptance of responsibility and the time saved, imposed two fines of five thousand dollars each plus court costs, payable by February twenty-eighth, 2025, or face three years in prison. Additionally, Castillo must pay four thousand, eighty-seven dollars for the live rounds of ammunition by the same date. Following Castillo’s guilty plea, the prosecution dropped the charges against Orellana, allowing her to leave freely. The court ordered the forfeiture of the firearm to the Government of Belize, meaning Castillo must now appeal to the licensing board to regain his firearm.
Tonight, a shocking case of alleged human trafficking has come to light involving an Indian national. Forty-six-year-old Harish Kishanchand, the owner of Chic’s and Harry’s Import in Belize City, stands accused by his former employee of withholding food, pay, and even his passport. The accuser, a twenty-one-year-old Indian national, claims that while still in India, he was offered a job as a salesperson through a broker, with promises of six-hour workdays from Monday to Friday and a monthly salary of twenty-five thousand Indian Rupees, to be deposited into his family’s account. He was also assured of travel and accommodation arrangements, along with a worker’s permit and visa. However, upon arriving in Belize, the reality was starkly different. The victim alleges that his passport and cellphone were confiscated, and he was not allowed to travel unsupervised. He further claims he was subjected to beatings, forced to work from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week, and was only fed leftover food twice a day. This morning, Kishanchand, represented by attorney Jacqueline Willoughby, was informed that he will stand trial for human trafficking. He was granted bail set at six thousand dollars, with an equal surety, which he met this afternoon.
A family of six is counting their blessings after surviving a harrowing crash on Saturday evening. Their vehicle collided head-on with a horse standing on the highway, but fortunately, their injuries were not life-threatening. The accident occurred at mile forty-one on the Philip Goldson Highway around 6:15 p.m., just as the family was returning to Belize City. While they all sustained various injuries, none required hospitalization. However, their vehicle was totaled. The youngest passenger, a nine-month-old toddler, suffered seatbelt burns on his arm. One of the passengers, an attorney, recounted the terrifying moment, explaining that the incident happened so quickly the driver had no time to avoid the horse standing in their path. She voiced her concerns about the ongoing issue of horse and cattle owners allowing their animals to roam onto public roads, endangering lives. She also mentioned that just a week prior, a friend had told her about a coworker who had a similar encounter, where a horse forced him off the road and into a tree.
Tonight, a father is accusing the Northern Regional Hospital of negligence after he had to rush his son to a private clinic for urgent care. The father, a public servant, shared that his son waited over an hour at the public hospital without receiving any medical attention. He recounted to News Five that his eleven-year-old son had slipped and hit his face, resulting in a deep cut between his eyebrows that bled profusely and required stitches. Despite arriving at the hospital more than half an hour after his wife, who had brought their son in, no one had attended to the boy. Frustrated and concerned, the father decided to take his son to a private medical facility. He noted that although the medical team on duty claimed they were busy, he saw them sitting and chatting when he peeked inside. The father expressed his worry that if this could happen to someone they likely recognize from his profession, ordinary Belizeans might face even greater challenges when seeking medical attention at public facilities. Attempts to reach the Northern Regional Hospital for a response went unanswered.
Today marked the unveiling of the 2024 Mesoamerican Reef Report Card by Healthy Reefs for Healthy People. This comprehensive report, crafted in collaboration with over seventy dedicated organizations, highlights the ongoing efforts to preserve the stunning reefs of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. This regional initiative not only offers invaluable data but also champions ecosystem-based management and adaptive conservation strategies for the Mesoamerican Reef. For an in-depth look at today’s launch, News Five’s Britney Gordon was in attendance.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
A glimmer of hope shines on the Mesoamerican Reef as its health shows improvement for the first time in five years. While this marks a step in the right direction, the overall grade still hovers in the ‘poor’ category. At the launch of the Mesoamerican Reef Report, Raphael Martinez, the Country Coordinator for Healthy Reefs for Healthy People, provided an in-depth look at the report’s findings.
Raphael Martinez
Raphael Martinez, Country Coordinator, Healthy Reefs for Healthy People
“This year’s report card showed an improvement in the reef health index going from two point zero to two point five. It’s still classified the least in the poor category, but the silver lining is it’s an improvement. It’s a significant improvement, especially looking at indicators of the herbivorous fish and commercial fish biomass that saw a rebound from 2021 numbers. So this is a good sign and we believe that there’s more improvements that could be made in terms of reef health. And we hope to have a collaborative effort across our local network of partners in terms of addressing this issue of trying to improve reef health.”
The health grade of the reef is alarmingly poor, with a significant portion of the two hundred and eighty-six monitored sites falling into the ‘poor’ or ‘critical’ categories, at thirty-nine percent and twenty-three percent, respectively. However, there’s a silver lining: sites in fair condition have increased by eight percent, and those in good condition have risen by three percent. Despite these improvements, two sites remain in critical condition.
Raphael Martinez
“A major challenge right now, especially affecting the coral reef, is the high level of heat stress. NOAA announced the fourth global coral reef bleaching event and we’re still feeling the effects of that in 2024. This has significantly affected the coral cover within the country and across the entire Mesoamerican region. And this is the main result of climate change and climate change, accompanied with other stressors that we as humans may introduce into the environment being poor water quality, being environmental degradation. You know, this also helps to reduce the reef, the health of the reef. And it’s important for us to address across sectors, different issues that could help to improve it. So water quality being, improving water quality will help to make the reefs more resilient to different stressors being introduced.”
One of the standout findings of the report was the increase of fish population. Commercial fish biomass increased by forty percent, largely due to stronger enforcement measures and herbivorous fish biomass also saw a thirty percent rise. The population of larger fish species, such as snappers and groupers, remains concerning, emphasizing the need for more fishing regulations and community management initiatives. Doctor Jake Snadden, Director of the Environmental Research Institute at the University of Belize tells us how his team works to break down the data for stakeholders.
Jake Snadden
Dr. Jake Snadden, Director, Environmental Research Institute, U.B.
“We’ve been looking at what that data structure is and building the supplementary for the data. So the report card presents a summary value, Healthy Reef Index, if you like, so it’s come up this year. But what does that mean on the ground between the different sites? So, say, if you’re looking at Turneffe Atoll, so you’ve got a whole bunch of sites that are surveyed there. Which sites are going up? Which sites are going down? And that’s the sort of level of information that you can use for adaptive management. And so we’ve been working with the data that’s sort of underneath these scores, if you like, putting that science rigor into it.”
Pinpointing areas for improvement through detailed data analysis is a cornerstone of the co-management system. This approach ensures that reefs and protected areas receive the tailored protection they need.
Dr. Jake Snadden
“So if you look at the report card and you like what you see, or you don’t like what you see, and if things are decreasing, you can say, where are these patterns happening? What the story behind the data? So then you look in the supplementary document, and in the supplementary document, you can then start to unpick where it is. And this is really important for like protected area managers or co-managers for areas where they’re looking at what’s happened to their reef. Don’t just look at the one value score. Look at what’s happening at the site level. Then you know which sites are improving, which sites are not improving, which sites have large fish biomass, and so they’re doing well, which sites don’t, are there, is there good seagrass, is there good reef structure where you have high, you can get at the science questions behind the management.”
With the data secured, the next step is a call to action. The Healthy Reefs for Healthy People is advocating for the protection of more areas and stricter regulations on fishing. Britney Gordon for News Five.
The Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing has declared the J&W Subdivision access road impassable due to relentless rainfall over the past few days, which has left the road submerged in floodwaters. Earlier this week, the ministry commenced construction on a bridge along this route. The silver lining is that the bridge approaches are just a couple of weeks away from completion. In the meantime, residents are advised to use a temporarily upgraded alternate entrance while the access road remains flooded. We spoke with Chief Engineer Evondale Moody for more details.
Evondale Moody
Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, M.I.D.H
“The approaches was what we were working on during the rainy season and so with the events and heavy rainfalls, that have significantly delayed the progress of the contractor in completing those two approaches to the bridges itself. So, we have to be timely in what we are doing. Yes the rain is upon us but that is just mother nature. There is not much we can do. So, we continuously working on that to try and get it completed within the next two to three week. The only other option is to use the alternate route from the back to come into Belmopan. So, what we have done, the mayor has asked us to assist with material to improve the access road in that area. That road is not well kept and it will create some problems for the alternate route. You may recall we also have a diversion at the J&W bridge that we were using, however with the excessive flooding that is also inundated by flood waters, so that has created some problems. But for the most part that has helped us during construction. We did not prioritize the back route because of the distance and also at night it is very dark. So, we did not prioritize that as an option to send the residents through because of their safety.”
Chief Engineer Evondale Moody clarified that although the ministry has taken on the task of constructing the J&W Bridge, the area is under the jurisdiction of the Belmopan City Council. Addressing concerns about the slow pace of construction, Moody pointed out that the persistent rains have significantly hampered progress.
Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, M.I.D.H
“Yes we have to be sentimental about that fact and it is something we have been trying to deal with as well. However, from a ministry standpoint we were trying to help the city of Belmopan and also the resident with the structure. It is not in our jurisdiction to do these work, however we knew it was important based on our consultation between the ministry and the area rep and the mayor. However, we know that building a bridge is not one month, two months, three months. It takes almost a year. So, we started this bridge earlier in the dry season to complete the structure then we knew we had to do the approach, because we couldn’t build the approach before the bridge. So, we are cognizant of the fact that we have created some problem for them, but it is not exactly on the MIDH. It is the weather we have to deal with. We apologize for that, however we are trying to do our best to see how we could assist the city council in improving the access road in the back until such time. People would say you could have added more labor to help that situation. However bare in mind, the funding we requested had to be approved by the ministry of finance and those are limited funding. So, we have to work within that budget we have. We cant extent beyond that budget and add on more staff and equipment just to complete the project within a shorter duration.”
Some minutes ago, a statement issued by Tracy Panton under the UDP banner said that “The New Leadership Team of the United Democratic Party (UDP) is happy to announce that, having acted on the authority of the Trustee, we are now exercising the full management and control of the entire premises of the UDP Headquarters situated at Youth For The Future Drive. We are also happy to announce that we are also exercising full management and control of our Party organs, the Guardian Newspaper and Wave Radio.”
Panton, recently appointed interim leader during a convention organised by the Alliance for Democracy, urged all Standard Bearers and their executives to unite and collaborate under the new leadership. Following yesterday’s initial efforts, Panton and her supporters gained partial access to the UDP headquarters, including parts of the Guardian Newspaper and Wave Radio located on the upper floor’s right side. Today, they secured access to the remaining unoccupied areas of the building, which comprises of the conference room and additional offices utilised by the Party Leader.
However, the faction led by Moses “Shyne” Barrow issued a statement addressing the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, stating that UDP Deputy Chairman Alberto August has filed a police report concerning the ‘breaking and entering’ of the UDP headquarters.
