Sugar cane producers secure credit deal after mill blockade

CHETUMAL, QR. Sugar cane producers have lifted blockades installed at the entrances to the San Rafael de Pucté Mill after reaching an agreement with the operating company to modify credit conditions for the upcoming 2025-2026 harvest season.

The protest, which began one day earlier, originated from the rejection of what was considered an “abusive” credit by the Beta San Miguel corporation, directly affecting hundreds of families from the Río Hondo riverbank area linked to the San Rafael de Pucté Mill.

New Credit Benefits Producers

Benjamín Gutiérrez Reyes, president of the National Confederation of Sugar Cane Producers A.C., confirmed that dialogue allowed for the establishment of a credit of 50 pesos per ton of cane, with an interest rate of 18 percent, a measure that will benefit more than two thousand producers associated with San Rafael de Pucté.

The leader indicated that this new scheme significantly expands coverage, as originally only about 670 producers were contemplated with a previous advance of 25 pesos per ton.

The agreement includes the application of retroactive adjustments for those who had already received advances under previous conditions. Gutiérrez Reyes explained that, for example, a producer with three thousand tons will reach a cap of 50 thousand pesos, which represents a direct benefit for production units linked to the agricultural process of the San Rafael de Pucté Mill.

He also recalled that the previous rate of 24 percent was unsustainable for the sector and generated concern throughout the sugar cane zone.

Additional Benefits and Commitments

As part of the commitments made, the mill will deliver vouchers for 100 kilos of sugar for each producer on December 10, a benefit that will also cover the complete registry of more than two thousand cane growers who supply San Rafael de Pucté. Additionally, 100 additional sacks were requested to cover those who, for some reason, are left out of the sugar supplement, in order to guarantee equity in distribution.

The cane leader specified that an additional fund will be managed to ensure that no producer is excluded from support, and reiterated that the organization will maintain permanent vigilance over the agreements signed with the San Rafael de Pucté Mill, with the objective of preserving fair conditions for the start of the next harvest season.

“We are here to support all producers who need it,” he concluded.