BSI Diversifying Cane Varieties to Safeguard Sugar IndustryStakeholders in Belize’s sugar industry are finally seeing a bit of sunshine after one of the toughest seasons they’ve faced in decades. Shane Williams, ReportingFor years, sugar farmers across northern Belize have struggled with falling production, climate shocks and plant diseases that weaken yields and threaten livelihoods. Now BSI is fighting back with a multi‑year Clean Seed and Varieties Program designed to rebuild the sector from the ground up. At the heart of the program is the use of disease-free, genetically pure planting material, designed to replace infected and low-performing cane varieties and restore confidence in replanting. And we saw last year the devastation of the fusarium disease that impact the cane.