BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC – The Belize government Friday said it held a meeting with key stakeholders in the sugarcane industry to review preparations for the 2026 crop season.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Economic Transformation, Dr. Osmond Martinez, said that the 2026 crop is scheduled to begin on January 19, and that the meeting formed part of the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to strengthen coordination, transparency, and joint decision-making across the sugarcane value chain.
“This regular forum is expected to strengthen planning, improve responsiveness to weather and logistical challenges, and ensure that interventions deliver clear benefits to cane farmers and the wider industry.
“Through these recurring engagements, the Ministry of Economic Transformation and its partners reaffirmed their collective commitment to modernizing Belize’s sugar industry and safeguarding the livelihoods of thousands of sugarcane farmers and workers across northern Belize,” according to a statement issued following the meeting.
During the meeting, the Ministry of Economic Transformation reaffirmed its commitment to the northern sugarcane industry by establishing bi-monthly stakeholder meetings to be held at the Sugar Industry Control Board (SICB).
It said that these meetings will include representatives from the SICB, the Sugar Industry Research and Development Institute (SIRDI), Belize Sugar Industries/American Sugar Refining (BSI/ASR), the Sugar Cane Production Committee (SCPC), and the four cane farmers’ associations—Northern Sugar Cane Growers Association, Progressive Sugar Cane Producers Association, Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association, and Corozal Sugar Cane Producers Association.
Martinez told the meeting of the government’s resolve to ensure that all actors in the sugar industry work toward a shared vision of a resilient, competitive, and farmer-focused sector, emphasising that the newly established bi-monthly meetings would serve as a permanent platform for reviewing progress, addressing emerging issues, and maintaining open dialogue among farmers’ associations, the mill, and regulatory bodies.
According to the statement, stakeholders reviewed mill readiness for the 2026 crop, during which BSI/ASR confirmed plans to begin steam trials on Friday. The meeting also addressed key support measures, including the fuel subsidy and the waiver of licenses for sugarcane transport units.
To improve coordination and oversight, participants agreed to establish a technical committee comprising representatives from major institutions to work alongside the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing (MIDH) on road maintenance.
Martinez said that as part of this initiative, he would lead a field visit on January 12 to assess priority road sections and advise on immediate follow-up actions.
Last month, Prime Minister John Briceño welcomed the one-year interim agreement reached between the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) and the American Sugar Refinery/Belize Sugar Industries Ltd that allowed for the start of the new crop sugar season, which the authorities hope will yield an estimated 1.3 million tonnes of sugarcane for milling.
Chairman of the BSCFA Committee of Management, Alfredo Ortega, said the interim agreement allows for the government to amend existing laws to prevent the kinds of stalemate that threaten to frustrate the sugar industry.
The two main stakeholders in the sugar industry had been at loggerheads. After almost a year of back-and-forth, both parties finally agreed to engage a mediator in late October, following the expiration of the current agreement in January this year.
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