Government Approves Commission of Inquiry for Sugarcane Industry

And, with all that said and done by the BSCFA, we can tell you that the Prime Minister has approved the Terms of Reference for the Commission of Inquiry (COI), and has also appointed the commissioners.  The announcement came in just after four o’clock this evening, indicating that the Commission of Inquiry is now expected to review the value chain of the sugarcane industry to establish the benchmark costs, determine efficiencies, and recommend measures for improvement.  Essentially, the COI will be determining the cost of sugarcane farming, harvesting, and transportation.  This move by the government comes 74 days after the initial deadline.  Initially, the Prime Minister had committed to having the COI established thirty days after the agreement was reached on January 5.  Notably, last week, the attorney for BSI/ASR, Senior Counsel Godfrey Smith stated that he would be advising his client to object to the commission’s terms of reference. It is a developing story that we will keep following.