BELMOPAN, Belize (CMC) – Belize Prime Minister John Briceño says this year’s sugar crop will be one of the worst in recent years after the Fusarium Wilt disease ravaged cane fields here.

The Belize Sugar Industries (BSI), in confirming the situation, described this year’s performance as one of the worst in over three decades.

“The total cane received is just-under 884,000 metric tons. That’s a low for us,” BSI director of finance, Sean Chavarria, said, adding that the only comparable year in recent history was 2020, which was still higher despite coming on the heels of the 2019 drought.

Chavarria explained that the tons-of-cane to tons-of-sugar (TCTS) ratio, a key measure of efficiency, stood at approximately 11.1 to 11.2 this season. He said, “that’s one of the lowest we’ve seen since the 2010 crop”.

After liquidation, total sugar production is expected to come in at under 79,000 metric tons, a figure not seen since 2008, making this season one of the lowest-producing crops in 35 to 40 years.