On the 29th and 30th of June, 2016 the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) held training sessions with all the Reaping Group Leaders in the Corozal and Orange Walk Divisions. The session for the Corozal Division was held at Dreams Salon in Corozal Town and at Gala Lounge in Orange Walk Town for the Orange Walk Division.
Various topics were presented to them including:
• Storage of Pesticides
• Handling of empty chemical/pesticide containers
• The correct use of the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)
• Child labor
• The Importance of Water
Following the training sessions, the staff of the Projects/Environmental Department of BSCFA have continued their work in the fields assuring that cane farmers have their warehouses in good conditions. BSCFA has been promoting to cane farmers the proper handling of empty
containers by means of the triple rinse and perforation. The farmers are cooperating by disposing their containers in the trailers that are rotated within all branches.
The importance of water is very clear to the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA)
and FLOCERT, who created a Compliance Criteria No. 3.3.6.05 which states that “You and your
members provide clean drinking water for workers.” Field work in the sugar industry requires
workers to spend long hours under the hot sun, exposing themselves to dehydration. BSCFA provided reaping group leaders of all branches in both the Corozal and Orange Walk
Divisions with water gallons in order for them to be able to provide clean drinking water for
their cane cutters.