The Briceño administration is pouring two million dollars into fixing the sugar roads up north. As we’ve reported, many of these roads are in terrible shape due to weeks of relentless rain. Repair work has already started, but the weather is still causing delays. Today, Prime Minister Briceño announced that, on top of the one million dollars already set aside for road repairs, the government has earmarked an additional one million dollars. Besides the awful road conditions, the quality of sugarcane has significantly deteriorated over the years, leading to a drop in sugar production. Here’s what the Prime Minister had to say about these issues.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“Yes we have the support of the cane farmers. We have done very well for them. If you remember, the previous government gave them four hundred thousand dollars. What we have done, we have signed a contract in December but we cant control the rain. It has been raining since October virtually nonstop. And, the only way we could fix these road is if it gets dry and we know that. But of course, there is impatience and I understand the impatience. What we have done is put another million on top of what we have signed. So, it is going to be two million. We have never put that kind of money and they know that and they are working with us. But even the factory is not going well for them because the cane has too much water. The content is so high. The ton of cane for a ton of sugar is way too high. Usually, we have about nine tons of cane for one ton of sugar. We are about eighteen tons of cane to one ton of sugar. The amount of mud that comes in is wrecking up the equipment of BSI. So maybe we should have held back a bit more for the conditions to change.”
So, what about those pesky potholes that are turning into craters at the northern and western entrances to Belize City? Chief Engineer Moody explained that the Ministry has been battling the frequent rains to get those repairs done. A particular trouble spot is the section of the Philip Goldson Highway, between the Haulover Bridge and Biltmore, that breaks up every few years due to the unstable ground underneath. Moody mentioned that until they can secure the hefty funds needed to drive piles into the earth to stabilize it, they’ll have to keep up with continuous corrective work.
Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, M.I.D.H
“The maintenance crew is out doing those works, but we need to deal with the weather as well in carrying out our work successfully. The idea is to try and see how best we could garner funds to do the piling foundation for that section of the highway because I think I’ve mentioned before that that will continue to settle as time progresses because of the amount of peat that we have underlying the pavement surface there. And so what we’re doing as a ministry is just corrective measures, but that’s only on a temporary basis because that is not a long term solution to fixing the problem. The long-term solution is for us to pile the carriageway similar to what we have done to the approach of the bridges. And also the piling that we’ve done to the roundabout near the Benny’s apartment. Once we could get funding to do that, then we would have a long-term solution to solving that consolidated problem that continuously, uh, bothers us, but until such time, we’ll have to just do the, the regular maintenance that the MIDH is doing.”
Repairs have started on the dirt roads in northern Belize that lead to the cane fields. Last week, the Corozal Sugarcane Producers Association raised concerns about the deteriorating roads, which have been made worse by constant rain, making it difficult for farmers to access their fields. This has led to a significant drop in the amount of sugarcane delivered to Tower Hill. To make matters worse, the poor quality of the harvested cane is producing less sugar, causing the mill to halt operations at times. This is problematic because the mill isn’t designed to stop during the cane season, and doing so can cause damage. News Five’s Marion Ali has more on this story.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Since last week, crews from the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing have been hard at work fixing the badly damaged dirt roads in the Corozal and Orange Walk Districts that lead to the cane fields. The relentless rains over the past few weeks have made it tough for farmers to harvest their mature cane, and their heavy-duty equipment has only worsened the road conditions. Jose Majil, the chairman of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association’s Corozal Branch, has been closely monitoring the situation.
Jose Majil
Jose Majil, Chairman, B.S.C.F.A, Corozal Branch
“Some farmers have big machinery, so they try to take out the product, but they are at the time, they’re hurting the roads too and the farmers that have small trucks, well they cannot pass.”
The farmers were forced to harvest the cane they can reach, but the crop is immature and that has also added to the problem, according to BSI’s General Manager, Mac McLoughlin.
Mac McLoughlin
Mac McLoughlin, General Manager, A.S.R./B.S.I
“We’re milling very, very poor-quality cane. So obviously that’s having an impact, and it will have an impact on the whole industry, because farmers are paid on the sugar that’s produced and for the mill. At this point, we’ve milled over seventy thousand tons of sugar cane. At this point last year, we’d only milled fifty-seven thousand tons because of the delays to the crop, because of one association, but this year, we’ve made three thousand three hundred tons of sugar. Last year, we made three thousand seven hundred tons, so we made more sugar with thirteen thousand tons less cane last year.”
With the rain finally letting up, crews from the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing have been busy restoring the sugar roads in the north. Chief Engineer Evondale Moody reports that most of the work is now complete.
Evondale Moody
Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, M.I.D.H
“In the Corozal District we have over two hundred and seventy miles of road and in the Orange Walk District we have about three hundred and fifteen miles of sugar roads. With the budget that we receive annually there’s no way that we could maintain all these roads continuously, especially when we have significant rainfall as what we’ve been having in this past year, 2024. However, we try our best to initiate the upgrading of these sugar roads, especially the main ones prior to the sugar cane season. So we started these roads in late November, early December once we had the funds available to commence these works.”
But the rain started again and interrupted the road works, until last week. Moody mentioned that during this period, the farmers’ heavy equipment further damaged the roadworks, making the situation even worse.
Evondale Moody
“Some of the cane fields are wet but you still have those trucks going into the cane fields and bringing out that contaminated material onto the road. Please bear in mind that these roads are not paved roads, they’re gravel roads and once that gravel gets contaminated it creates another problem for us because we still need to go back and do the same thing again to address that.”
The cane fields in the north are mostly lowlands, about eighty percent, with only twenty percent being highlands. Alfredo Ortega, Chairman of the Committee of Management for the B.S.C.F.A Orange Walk Branch, suggests that the mill should consider shortening the harvest period to avoid the rainy season.
Alfredo Ortega
Alfredo Ortega, Chairman, Committee of Management, B.S.C.F.A, Orange Walk Branch
“We have been trying to do what we can, but nevertheless, climate change is one of the issues that is affecting us now, left, right and center because the amount of rain that we are getting now is much more than any other given year. Starting one day, two days after Christmas, many of the cutters – because we rely on the manpower – many of them are still in the party mood and that is why we’re telling them that they delay so that whenever we start in January, then we have a better flow of cane being delivered to the mill.”
However, McCloughlin argues that climate change has blurred the lines between rainy and dry seasons. He emphasizes that making better investments is crucial for successful crops, just like in other sugar-producing countries.
Mac McLoughlin
“All four cane farmer associations and the mill agreed to start when we started, as that if we start earlier, albeit a little bit wet sometimes, it’s better than ending in the rain. You have upland fields, you have lower land fields, there needs to be effective drainage in fields. You know, you need to have better water management, you need to have investment, you’ve got to have investment in the cane farm. Really, we have to change the whole structure, I think, of the way the cane industry works here because we’re seeing, year by year, more of a deterioration in the cane crop, both the yields and the quality.”
There’s no estimate yet on the losses for this sugar crop due to the delays, but cane farmers are hopeful that they can make up for lost time if the weather stays dry. Marion Ali for News Five.
The road from Bullet Tree Village to the Spanish Lookout Community is a lifeline for Belize’s agricultural sector, with farmers transporting livestock and grains along this route every day. Now, this crucial stretch is getting a much-needed upgrade. On Friday, a groundbreaking ceremony in Santa Familia Village marked the start of paving the nine and a half miles. News Five’s Paul Lopez has the details.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
On Friday, the Government of Belize kicked off an exciting project to pave nine and a half miles of road from the Spanish Lookout Community to Bullet Tree Village. Orlando Habet, the Area Representative for Cayo Northeast, highlighted the road’s significance, noting that over fifty percent of Belize’s cattle exports to Guatemala travel this route. This upgrade is set to boost the nation’s economic growth by improving this vital thoroughfare.
Orlando Habet
Orlando Habet, Area Rep., Cayo Northeast
“For many years we have been looking through various administrations to get this road paved, because it is heavily trafficked. We have hundreds of workers that come this side and work In Spanish Lookout. We have farmers who have access to their farms through this road and as I mentioned, very important, because sixty to seventy percent of all the cattle that goes to Guatemala passes through this road. All the corn and all the beans exported pass through this road. When we have flooding events it is important, because apart from those commodities, we have chicken, egg, beef, milk, ice cream, you name it, all the food items that has to pass through here when the lower lying bridges are closed. So, it is important.”
Habet also pointed out that this project will boost property values along the road and open up new opportunities for tourism in the area. The initiative is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and the Spanish Lookout Community. According to Julius Espat, the Minister of Infrastructure Development & Housing, the community is even pitching in to help finance part of the work.
Julius Espat
Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development & Housing
“This project is a special project, because it is a public, private venture. It is the Spanish Lookout community coming together with government and financing the project to make it work. It was one of the ways we found to fast track the bureaucratic way of doing road construction. So I would like to sincerely thank the Credit Union of Spanish Lookout who I know are the people with the cheese, so thank you very much and the leadership of Mr. Reimer of Spanish Lookout.”
Cayo North Area Representative Michel Chebat was also present at the groundbreaking ceremony in Santa Familia Village. He says this is phase one of Plan Belize. The work is expected to be completed in eighteen months.
Michel Chebat
Michel Chebat, Area Rep., Cayo North
“It is important because it will enhance the lives of all our citizens in the area. It will make commerce better. It will make access to education, agriculture, all the lands around here, the value of these lands will appreciate. So it is a win-win situation. It represents a commitment and a belief by government in the residents and the people of Belize. This government believes in our people, and we are working to make the lives of our people better. This is just another example of that commitment to making people’s lives better under Plan Belize. This is Plan Belize phase one, because in a few months we are going to have phase two of plan Belize.”
Joyce Tun
Joyce Tun, Chairlady, Santa Familia
“We can attest to the fact that from day one when this government came into power we saw the roads upgraded and keeps being upgraded and maintained. And we can say it is not only talk and talk, but you also walk the talk and this is important to us.”
On Friday, Minister of Infrastructure Development & Housing, Julius Espat attended a groundbreaking ceremony out west for a road upgrade. In his speech, Espat highlighted the urgent need for road improvements in villages across the country. He explained that his ministry has been working tirelessly, despite limited resources, with the support of fellow area representatives. Espat emphasized that his government isn’t shying away from the challenges but is actively seeking solutions.
Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development
“I also understand that villagers across the country are concerned that when it rains, we do have problems, we do have mud, we tend to slip and slide when we drive. But we inherited a road structure of six thousand kilometers and of that only about ten to fifteen percent are paved. So that is what we deal with daily and so I feel for our residents when they are slipping and sliding, but we also do too. The area reps when they request assistance from us, we don’t have resources so they chip in so they would put the salaries for the drivers. Sometimes they assist with fuel, and we give them the equipment. We find ways to be able to solve our problems and we don’t run away from them. We understand what we inherited. I would like to remind, and correct me if I am wrong, wasn’t it Dean Barrow who stood here and say his coffers was endless and that this would be the project to be done immediately when they were desperately looking for support. I am getting a bit political, but we are in the political season so I am allowed. The difference between the political parties is that we don’t talk too much, we come in and we bring the private sector mentality in government and we work and work and work and elections come again and we hope people see the benefit in that and we hope they give us their thank you and say lets go again.”
On Friday, Belize Sugar Industries kicked off the 2024-2025 sugar crop with high hopes. Last season was a banner year, boasting record prices for sugar cane and the largest export of raw sugar in Belize’s history. But the sweet success has turned a bit sour as the industry braces for challenges ahead. Farmers are battling fusarium disease, which has hit crops hard in Corozal, and poor weather conditions aren’t helping. To make matters worse, the dreadful state of the sugar roads is making it nearly impossible for farmers to deliver their cane. Minister of Agriculture, Jose Abelardo Mai, assured that efforts are underway to tackle these issues.
Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture
“I just have telephoned it, the chairman of sugar board. Mr. Osorio, the farmers met this morning and they are still concerned. Although the MIDH is saying that in Corozal, the contracts have been completed up to eighty percent. So there seems to be some type of miscommunication regarding how many sugar roads are being done. Nevertheless, tomorrow I will proceed to meet with the cane farmers and in my area, we’ll go over the area to see which roads have been repaired and which not. But the Prime Minister is also informed. I report to him daily on the matter of sugar industry, and if there is a need to fix the sugar roads, we have to do it. The only problem is that the weather has not been too cooperative. It rains on and off, and if it stops raining, then the soil is still wet, and the trucks can’t get in to dump. But it’s not an excuse. I will follow up tomorrow, and if we need to fix sugar roads, we will do so.”
Belize’s sugar roads are in terrible condition, according to cane farmers across Northern Belize who are struggling to make their deliveries. Today, the 2024-2025 crop season finally kicked off, sixteen days later than planned, mainly due to the poor state of the roads. Belize Sugar Industries’ Financial Director, Shawn Chavarria, shared that this has been a long-standing issue for the industry, making it difficult for farmers to get their cane to the sugar producers.
Shawn Chavarria
Shawn Chavarria, Financial Director, B.S.I.
“I think it’s really, a long term failure that has been occurring with respect to Sugar Roads. Infrastructure is critical for any sector, any industry, especially ours, which requires transportation of their raw material to the mill. And so without the proper infrastructure, it’s difficult for us to be able to make a good start. And we’ve seen that. We have proposed to start the crop on the sixteenth of December of December. Farmers, I said, look, I am willing to start, but I can’t get to my fields. And so that has set, that’s about two weeks. But the state of the roads is not one that just occurred this year, or the year before. It’s been successive years of inadequate maintenance and repairs to these sugar roads for a critical industry. It’s still one of the largest agricultural industries in Belize. It’s the highest contributor to GDP from the agricultural sector, bringing the highest level of foreign exchange. I think a long-term solution really needs to be put in place to address the matter of sugar roads because now it’s costing us money because it’s delaying the start. If we have to push the crop into the rainy season, it will cost the industry to lower cane quality and less recovery of sugar. So really, we need a long term solution for the matter of sugar roots so that, we remove one obstacle that we have.”
The Belize City Council says it needs one point six million dollars to fix the damaged streets across the city, but they’re not sure where the money will come from. Today, Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner told News Five that it’s unlikely the council can raise these funds on its own, so they’ve asked the central government for help. Meanwhile, work has started on Saint Thomas Street, which was in terrible shape, just like the worst streets in the Old Capital. However, these repairs weren’t included in the council’s damage assessment report. Belize Telecommunications Limited and Belize Water Service are teaming up with the Ministry of Infrastructure Development & Housing to cover the repair costs. News Five’s Paul Lopez has more.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Belize City streets are in terrible shape, as confirmed by a damage assessment report from the Belize City Council. The poor conditions have even sparked a viral parody that’s making the rounds. “Muffler mih a look…..bruk down pan street. Pit hole, on the road again. Yeah.”There’s finally a ray of hope for motorists navigating the streets of the Old Capital. Over the weekend repair works began on one of the city’s main thoroughfares, St. Thomas Street. It is a welcomed sight, according to one Belize City resident who lives nearby. He mentioned that he recently shelled out up to one thousand, one hundred dollars in vehicle repairs after hitting a pothole on the street.
Jorge Pelayo
Jorge Pelayo, Belize City Resident
“This street has been like this for quite some time, most of the streets in this area. But what gets to me is the time they take to fix the street; I had to take my vehicle to the mechanic and it cost me eleven hundred and eighty dollars for the parts and pay the mechanic. It is time they fix it, but I do hope they give us a good job and don’t give us a cover Benjamin.”
And, according to Mayor Bernard Wagner, the cost of the St. Thomas Street repairs is being covered through an innovative three-way agreement between B.T.L, B.W.S and M.I.D.H.
Bernard Wagner
Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City
“Remember when that project started, I believe it was late last year. One entity was going to do it, and they pulled out. So we were left with a street that was basically dug out, so we collaborated with B.T.L, B.W.S and the M.I.D.H and us and what we did their in this instance is to offset trade license, property taxes, over a three year period so that it does not hurt the council in terms of its revenue. So, they would inject the funding to rehabilitate the street and thereafter we would offset what they inject over a three-year period. So, you kill two birds with one stone, you get the street fixed and you do not compromise the cash flow of the council in a one-year term.”
And works are already underway, with one side of the street almost completely resurfaced. But this is separate and apart from the one point six million dollars that the council estimates will need to repair damaged streets across the city.
Bernard Wagner
“Most of the damages we see are the streets that are not paved. The ones that have been paved have generally held up. The concrete ones held up generally one. So it is a clear indication that maybe it is time to go that route fully in terms of concrete or hot mix.”
Paul Lopez
“Your city admin says the money will come, where will the money come from?”
Bernard Wagner
“At the city level this is sort of next to a disaster or hurricane event. To us finding the capital would be highly unlikely. So, we had to send a request to the M.I.D.H and the Ministry of Finance to see how they could assist us, and we are not asking for funding. We are asking to assist with the material.”
Paul Lopez
“What do you say to residents that don’t necessarily care for the financial deliberation to be made, they just want the streets fixed.”
Bernard Wagner
“My thing here is that taxes has to be paid, property taxes has to be paid. We are owed over thirty million dollars by property owners across this country. So, you can’t be on one side saying you want decent streets but you don’t pay your taxes. We know in some areas they have close to eighty ninety percent compliance. We have a tool we utilize with respect to compliance. if you at the city level is owed close to thirty million, that is a clear indication as to where we sit.”
The Belize City Council has reestablished its Utility Coordination Unit. Utility companies often get blamed for leaving streets in worse condition after working on their infrastructure. This unit will oversee these projects to ensure that when a utility company digs up your street, they leave it as good as they found it, if not better.
Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City
“We want to continue urge our utility entities; we have a good relationship. We have put together the Utility Coordination Unit. I sent out letters last week for those utility providers to have representatives on that committee and that committee is established by law. You have that committee which vets, to say that utility company will go on Penn Road to do works on their infrastructure, they will then send in an application to that utility coordination unit, they ten vet it and sign off on it to ensure there is some measure of accountability and at the completion of the world that the utility company would do they would be held responsible to put it back where it was before.”
The recent rains have been blamed for washing away culverts and breaking up streets and roads. Personnel from the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing have been working around the clock, seven days a week to repair and restore these important arteries across the country. And while it has been possible to carry out work for some of the damage, like replacing collapsed culverts, repairing or resurfacing streets and roads, it is not possible until the rain subsides. Both the northern and western entrances to Belize City are in deplorable condition and drivers are swaying left and right to dodge big potholes. C.E.O. at the M.I.D.H, Victor Espat assures that the Ministry has been responding to calls to fix the roads, and while they have adequate equipment, resources, and manpower, the rains have literally dampened the efforts to get those repairs done as quickly as possible. Espat said that the Philip Goldson Highway from the Buttonwood Bay Roundabout to the city is already going through the procurement process and work should start very soon to resurface that portion of road with hot mix. Streets in Belize City, meanwhile fall under the Belize City Council’s management and Deputy Mayor, Alan Pollard told us that those too will be repaired when the rains subside.
