Much respect to Mr. Jamil Matar of BSI (he describes himself as an employee of BSI (Belize Sugar Industries)) who wrote last week in the Government’s the el Guardian that the burning question for the BSCFA (Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association) is, HOW much of the $7.6 million they got through Fairtrade was actually spent on farm rehabilitation. That is a fair question, one that the BSCFA should answer promptly. While the BSCFA is conducting its research into that matter, and preparing their press release, I have a question that is burning up my chest, for Mr. Matar.
My fellow Belizeans, presently our sugarcane industry is passing through the eye of the storm. Now is the time to make preparations, to batten down the hatches before the very strong winds that will come, return. The question is testy, but it must be answered: Can an “antagonistic” industry survive the “backlash” (price cut) that is coming, or will the band aids put there after the core sampler rumble peel off like a poor paint job in hot weather?
In the revived banana industry (1970’s), many small farms of about 25 acres (the size of the farms is from my memory files) each were established with the impetus of local farmers and the support of our GoB and money from foreign. In the 1980’s the brains about decided that for a number of reasons (economies of scale, disease management) 25-acre farms were not cutting it. The small farms were absorbed, leaving the industry with a few very large growers.
In the sixties and seventies (last century of the last millennium) a small citrus grower with 10 or 15 acres could, if they also maintained a small milpa, support an average- sized family. When I left Stann Creek Valley in 1985 the brain trust in that industry was saying that if you couldn’t establish 50 or 75 acres of groves, it was better to stay out of the industry.
Sometime in the 1990’s the “antagonistic” citrus industry (Processors versus Growers) became, with the facilitation of GoB, one big, happy family, with Growers controlling everything. In an interesting development a couple years ago, the industry sold off a huge chunk of shares to our friends in the Caribbean.
Where to, Sugar Cane Industry? It’s the eye of the storm. There is a little time to clean dirty linen that cannot be put away. The question is not new. Fifteen years ago there were words in the countryside suggesting that BSI might be better off growing sugarcane to suffice all their needs. During the recent impasse between BSI and the BSCFA, which we must not forget ended up in loss of precious life, and millions of dollars also, we heard the farmers express their “interest” in BelCoGen.
There is great change taking place all over the globe. The old way of doing business is over. In America the new government is spending billions…but they know they are only buying time. See, despite billions spent, their auto industry is still going down. In Belize we must make best use of the little time afforded us while we are in the eye of strong winds.
From the Hondo to the Sarstoon, Cañero business is Belize business. When the storm winds start blowing again, the good ship Sugarcane must already be caulked, tarred, ballasted, rigged…so it can sail through to safe waters.
Thoughts provoked by H1N1
These are my thoughts on Friday AFTER the MoH’s press conference. These guys are PhD’s but, every “2 cents” counts.
With the specter of a flu epidemic looming, the absolute worst place for a person to be at this time is in prison. All persons guilty of petty offenses who don’t WANT to be at Kolbe should be released immediately. The think tank should have been in place yesterday to decide on the types of penalties people who smoke weed, or shoplift, or fall behind in their payments of child support should be paying.
I think that AG, H. Wilfred Elrington, would say that if the Ministry of Health were serious that pharmacists should only sell Tamiflu to sick people who bear a prescription from a doctor, they would put in some penalties for pharmacists that abuse their supplies. Pharmacists would welcome stiff penalties because this would give them a real “out” when healthy friends and family and people who have money come by in droves for their “over the counter” supplies.
Of course, if the MoH were really serious they would have taken the pressure off the pharmacists entirely. Yap, they would have taken over all stocks of Tamiflu in the country.
Staying on the H1N1 topic, to improve their services to the villages, and to the poor in the towns and cities, the MoH should immediately make a purchase of 24 motorbikes, and 24 super economy small vehicles from Taiwan or India. We must be prepared for the worst case scenario. In a flu epidemic people who don’t have private vehicles will need transportation other than buses to get them to the hospitals. Come on, the ministers can’t be so greedy they will not agree to forego their yearly brand new SUV.
8 streets in Roaring Creek on pause, please
Governments come; governments go. The dry season is almost gone and NO work has been done on our pathway. Word about is that Roaring Creek will get 8 streets paved. Bully for our neighbor north of us, but that project should be put on pause. Funds allocated for such a project should be diverted to complete the pathway in Camalote, make a connecting pathway through Roaring Creek, AND make a pathway on the side of the Western/Hummingbird highways all the way to Belmopan.
Such a pathway will go far to improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, AND it would allow for citizens in our area to do healthy walking, jogging, and cycling.
(Suga) Boys Juventus
Every time I see the name of OW’s semipro football team in print (Suga), I double take. Suga Boys is a beautiful name for a team, but it is not spelled correctly. When in doubt, go to the Kriol Dikshineri. If the Registry doesn’t charge an arm and a leg for a name change, go and make the spelling right, guys. Enter the stadium…Shuga Boys Juventus.
A hero falls in the ring
It might have pleased Mr. Cadogan no end to see his prediction come true, but I wasn’t happy to see Ricky Hatton snoring in the middle of the ring last Saturday. If I were a betting man my money would have been on Pacman. But my heart was with both fighters, so the wish here was for both of them to come out with their eyes opened. Boom.
Hey, you see where one Floyd Mayweather has come out of retirement? This boxing game is very cute. The super smart Floyd knows he can take out Pacman, and the brilliant Marquez, so his timing is perfect. After he puts them away he will announce again that there are no more worlds to conquer. The truth is there will be two worlds out there left for him to conquer. Floyd doesn’t really want a fellow named Miguel Cotto. And he definitely wants no part of a boy named Paul Williams.
Over the weekend there was a lot of replay with Iron Mike Tyson. In his heyday that guy sure looked invincible. When Tyson was kicking butt, an old boxer who’d been humbled in Zaire, saw his chance to regain his luster. Yap, Big George Foreman looked at Iron Mike and licked his chops. Big George returned to the ring but before he got his chance to smash Iron Mike like he had Joe Frazer, Mike Tyson ran into Mike Tyson, and lost his glitter.