The trouble that the citrus industry is confronting is one that has national implications. From the multiple interviews that have been conducted by both sides of the warring camps (both stakeholders in the industry) it is very obvious that what is driving the dispute is the control of the citrus processing facility in Pomona Valley. The Citrus Products of Belize factory is by no means a cracker-jack operation; over the years significant investment has gone into it to make it a state of the art processing plant.
Because the facility is so well equipped, it makes money. The plant processes oranges to create products for the export market including juice and concentrate, oil, essence, detergents and most recently livestock feeds. These bring in significant revenue to the company and the question is now arising who determines how these monies are used. For the Citrus Growers Association, this is the bone of contention since they own 51 percent of the shareholding in the company, yet they have no decision making power. On the other hand, the current board of directors doesn’t want to give up their position. They claim that those who now want to take control of the factory have in the past mismanaged it to send it into deficits.
What is most interesting is that on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, the Citrus Growers Association flexed its muscles, and a mighty flex it was. Between 1,500 and 2000 persons made it to the picket line to tell the current directors of CPBL that the growers want in on the action and by extension- the money. It was a mighty flex, but there are things that need to be considered; the citrus industry is a very labour intensive endeavour, and as such, most of those people who were out on Tuesday and Wednesday were in fact not growers. These people represent the peons; those who climb the trees to harvest the crop, drive the tractors, clean the fields and do the manual work. The growers know that there is strength in numbers and optics is everything. So everyone was pulled from the field to give the impression that there is mass discontent with the way things are going. That’s fair enough, and while most will see through the optical stunt, the entire country through the national television stations got an idea of how big an industry we are dealing with.
The squabble over control of the factory then pales in comparison to the extent of damage that the country would suffer were this industry to fail. There are literally thousands of people who depend on the industry and the millions of dollars that is dealt with by this industry. We are sure that those who are quarreling over the factory are mindful that the industry which they control have such serious social and economic effects on the southern part of the country and the entire country as a whole for that matter. Having seen the hundreds of persons who depend on the industry, there must be a pressing urge to have the situation solved and solved pronto. The issues have been dragging on for too long and uncertainty in the industry cannot be a good thing. Set aside the egos and personalities and at least try to move ahead with the industry.Â
