By Belize Live News Staff: A political firestorm is brewing after Minister of Agriculture Jose Mai was abruptly removed from overseeing Belize’s sugar industry—just as tensions with the powerful ASR group resurface.
Mai, who has been a vocal advocate for cane farmers, said he was blindsided by the Prime Minister’s decision, made after what he described as a secretive meeting between government officials and ASR in the U.S. “I wasn’t told until after the fact,” Mai told CTV3, “and I don’t even know what emergency they’re referring to.”
Frustrated but defiant, Mai accused ASR of benefitting disproportionately from Belize’s economy, pointing to fuel subsidies and tax breaks. “This looks like double dipping,” he said. “They already got their concessions, and now they’re getting fuel subsidies too.”
Mai also highlighted that local competitors like Santander have failed to penetrate the U.S. market due to ASR’s grip, suggesting that ASR’s cries of emergency ring hollow. “If they can’t survive with all the benefits of being a multinational, then what does that say?”
The decision has stirred discontent among cane farmers, who worry the change signals more favorable policies for ASR at their expense.
