by Marco Lopez
BELMOPAN, Thurs. Jan. 5, 2023
Hurricanes, an extended drought, citrus diseases, a shortage of labor, and the rising cost of fertilizers are just some of the issues plaguing the farms in the citrus belt of Belize. The industry is on life support. With increased expenses, farmers are calling for better rates on the price per box of grapefruit from this year’s harvest. Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Jose Mai said on a recent morning show that he would have to mediate a growing impasse within the industry. A price point of between $14 and $15 per box for grapefruit has been set, but the farmers are refusing to deliver their fruit to the factory at that rate, saying that such a low payment will not cover their expenses.
Some farmers, according to Hon. Mai, are opting to leave the fruits on the trees, since they say they would not be able to cover the operational expenses of the farm if they sell their produce at the current price. Others are mowing down their entire orchards, in hopes of possibly planting new, stronger, disease-resistant plants. This grapefruit harvest began as far back as October 2022, Minister Mai said. Currently, we are in the middle of the harvest, and the impact on the industry over the years is telling. The reports coming to Minister Mai are that the citrus yields are down.
He said that while the price on the world market has increased, the price per box proposed to farmers in this payment period of the grapefruit harvest had gone down when compared to last year. He further stated that he has to meet with the discontented farmers this week to determine what is happening.
Last year, at the 45th Annual General Meeting of the Citrus Growers Association of Belize, Hon Mai, who was the guest speaker at the event, announced that $15 million would be pumped into the industry as part of a revitalization effort. Rehabilitating existing farms and replanting new resistant varieties in orchards that have been cut down is the primary objective of the DFC program, but Hon. Mai noted that he is a “little concerned” about what is transpiring currently within the industry. The funds from DFC are to be made available to farmers over three years; the loans are also to focus on the diversification of crops within the industry.
This is a necessary step, since diseases like Citrus Greening and the Yellow Dragon Disease have sickened orchards and reduced the quantity and quality of yields across citrus farms in southern Belize. Along with this, an increase in the price of fertilizers and pesticides used for citrus plants continues to eat away at the farmers’ bottom line. According to one farmer from Pomona Valley whom we spoke to today, “Everyone is losing; lotta people noh happy with the price.”
He said that the increased prices in fertilizers and pesticides have hit all farmers hard economically this year, and he can understand why some would not want to sell at that low price. He said that many are opting to take their product to the local market, instead of selling wholesale to the factory.
One representative from the CGA confirmed with us that the price per box of grapefruit is approximately $15. We reached out to the chairman of the CGA, Eccleston Irvins, to get some clarification of the position of farmers at this time, but he was unable to speak at that time.