BSCFA Considers Appeal After $500K Court Ruling Over 2021 Blockade

Another issue brought up to the BSCFA Chairman was this week’s court ruling that orders them to pay more than half a million dollars in compensatory damages to the Belize Sugar Industries and the Belize Cogeneration Energy Limited (BCEL).  According to Chairman Alfredo Ortega, they are currently consulting with their attorneys on whether to file an appeal.  He noted that many farmers have expressed their desire to appeal the ruling.  He also noted that the entire matter could have been avoided had the farmers been given the attention and consideration from the start.

Alfredo Ortega, Chairman, BSCFA’S Committee of Management: “We of course are not happy with the judgment because I listened to what the  lawyer said last night that this is the first time and this put the precedent and what’s not. In reality for us as workers, as farmers, it’s not good because then it’s come to show like if we should accept in any way or form that we should be treated in in a hostile way on which we are unable to make clear our position on what is harming us or what is not good for the farmers we represent. So personally, I’m not happy with the outcome. I have spoken to some farmers and I think when we see what is coming out from the Facebook texts that are coming out we are seeing that there is strong advice from many of the people that are writing on it that we should appeal the case. We need to have meeting with the Prime Minister and his team to see what would be their response to this if they will continue supporting us if we go to an appeal. We don’t know at this point in time so I’m unable to speak to that point. All this could have been avoided completely if our leaders in government should have listened to us one which if you can recall and if you can go to your archives you will see what took to this that the farmers were not happy is because it was announced that we the BSCFA will only have an extension up to the end of April which was the 31st of April and on the 1st of May everybody that didn’t have an agreement with BSI well then they would have to look what to do with their cane and that is what created this situation. So if that time the intervention should have been that we go through the crop completely and then negotiations continue nothing like this should have happened but that was the case that brought us to where we are and I think that that is something that should make our leaders be more understandable whenever they’re dealing with this type of multinationals that they should look on how crop time span goes not leaving the farmers or any group at the middle of the way where they will say like in the middle of the desert.”

The damages that the BSCFA is ordered to pay stems from the protest and blockades created in January 2021.  As it relates to the amount to be paid, Love News asked Ortega if the association is in a position to pay the award.

Alfredo Ortega, Chairman, BSCFA’S Committee of Management: “Like in everything nothing is easy. Nothing is easy. But we cannot throw the towel and say we cannot do anything.  Once we have the farmers’ support to move ahead, we will do it. It all depends on the support of the farmers then we will move based on that support. We cannot say or I cannot say openly “okay I will do this because I represent the farmers only and we as a BSCFA we take our move based on the support of the farmers.”

The court awarded BSI over $520,000 and BCEL close to $43,500 in damages, plus 6% annual interest from January 1, 2022.  The entire saga originated from the sugarcane farmers’ demands to renegotiate their commercial agreement with BSI/ASR as well as claims of unpaid Fairtrade premiums.