Farmers Struggle with Sugar Cane Deliveries

It’s been less than a month into the new sugarcane crop season, and farmers in Corozal District say they continue facing a series of challenges that hinder the timely delivery of their crop to the mill. 

In a letter to Prime Minister John Briceño on Monday, the Corozal Sugar Cane Producers Association (CSCPA) raised serious concerns that accessibility issues have made it difficult for farmers to meet daily mill requirements.

The CSCPA stated that while the road repairs maintenance report claims “that 90% of the roads being mentioned in the report have been now repaired,” the reality is the contrary for the farmers “on the ground.”

Just a week ago, Minister of Agriculture Jose Abelardo Mai stated that “there seems to be some type of miscommunication regarding how many sugar roads are being done.” He explained that according to the Ministry of Infrastructure, Development & Housing (MIDH), 80% of the contracts were “completed” in Corozal District, but he was receiving contrary reports from farmers. Mai assured that efforts were being made to address these issues and would “proceed to meet with the cane farmers… and we’ll go over the area to see which roads have been repaired and which have not.”

Belize Sugar Industries’ Financial Director, Shawn Chavarria, called the issue a “long-term failure,” saying, “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.” 

Chavarria stated that the roads have been in disrepair for years, and the delays are now costing the industry. “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,” he added.

CSCPA added that farmers already “carry out tremendous investments before the advent of all sugar cane crops,” and the combination of poor road conditions, high humidity from ongoing rains, and crop pests is “affecting sugar cane quality.”