Currently, the Belize market for locally produced rice is saturated. Levels of stored stocks of rice from the Belizean rice farmers and from the Belize Marketing Development Corporation (or Marketing Board as it is also referred to) are not decreasing at a rapid rate, even though the Belizean public consumes about 1.5 million pounds of rice per month.
It is in the context of this dire situation that yet another allegation of corruption has surfaced in connection with the Marketing Board. Rice farmers from Orange Walk and Corozal are claiming that the board is allowing the importation of large quantities of rice from surrounding countries, even though the Belizean farmers are more than meeting our current demand.
They have further produced a photograph to Amandala which they claim was taken of a sack of Uruguayan rice that was being sold in a store in Orange Walk Town. This sack of rice has been reportedly seized by the Customs and Excise Department.
The managing director of the Marketing Board, Roque Mai, has contacted us, and he has told us that this allegation is the furthest thing from the truth. Mai categorically stated, “The Belize Marketing Development Corporation is not importing rice from Uruguay. There is enough surplus of rice in the country.”
According to Mai, over 1.6 million pounds of rice paddies are currently in storage for processing, and the crops from the 2010-2011, and the 2011-2012 seasons have yielded 4.6 million pounds of rice paddies from Toledo farmers that are also ready to be processed.
With these quantities of rice in stock, he reasoned, there is absolutely no need for any importation. He explained that if the allegation were true, this authorized importation would not cripple only the Belizean rice farmers but the Marketing Board itself.
The Marketing Board has bought several million pounds of rice paddies from the Toledo rice farmers, and all that would be wasted, if the allegations were true, he added. According to Mai, this was a sizeable investment, and it would be a “foolish venture” for the marketing board to allow importation of an international product.
Mai continued to explain that the Marketing Board cannot authorize any person or entity to import rice without due process and input from the Government of Belize and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
He explained that Belize is a member of CARICOM, and as per trade agreements, imported rice would have to come from other CARICOM nations; Uruguay is not one of those nations. Mai also said that he is very sure that the Marketing Board is not guilty of the type of corruption that is currently being alleged.
When we asked about the legitimacy of the photograph of the rice in the Orange Walk store supply, he said that the matter will be looked at, but it is the Customs Department who will initiate investigations.
He said that he is doubtful of the photograph, given that he has not seen it as yet, but if it is true that this rice was being sold, then it is a part of a contraband supply that is worrying to both the farmers and the Marketing Board, for the reasons he previously stated.
When asked about the reasons that the Marketing Board keeps resurfacing as the main culprit behind various trade-related scandals, Mai said that the Belizean mindset has always been inclined to blaming authorities without allowing them the chance to present all the facts. He said that he, as Managing Director, stands behind his word that according to his knowledge, no one at the Marketing Board is engaging in such a damaging, corrupt operation.
We also asked him about the presence of other rice products that are being allowed to be imported. He did confirm that there are several types of Indian rice (seen in the photo) that the Marketing Board allows to be imported. However, he also said that the importers are not allowed to provide a supply in large commercial amounts; it is to supply the small Indian population in Belize. These are also not whole grains like our locally produced rice.
Mai has said that he is willing to meet with the Corozal and Orange Walk farmers to discuss the way forward, as proof of his commitment to see their product’s success in the local market.