Can carrot juice production eliminate rotting carrots in the field?

SAN CARLOS, ORANGE WALK, Jan. 29, 2025

In order to tackle what has certainly been a longstanding problem for farmers in San Carlos, Orange Walk, who, year after year are left with carrots rotting in their fields, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Safety and Enterprise, along with the Belize Marketing and Development Corporation (BMDC), have launched a carrot juice production pilot. BMDC last week transported raw product from Orange Walk to Silk Grass Farms in the south to make 100% all-natural carrot juice.

On Friday, January 24, the Ministry and BMDC organized a visit by the San Carlos farmers to Silk Grass Farms for them to see the juice production process for themselves. Silk Grass Farms has a high-pressure juice processing machine with which it produces various juices of excellent quality. The carrot juice, though, would be a new commercial-scale venture for Belize. The juice is being bottled in half-gallon and gallon bottles with the half-gallon bottle being sold for BZ$10. It has a shelf life of 120 days. The Ministry stated, “This effort not only reduces food waste, but also provides a nutritious, Belizean-made product.”

Valentin Carillo, the Administrator of BMDC, shared that Minister Jose Mai reached out to them to see if they can help to address the excess supply of carrots, and Silk Grass Farms was happy to collaborate for a test run. According to Carillo, the quality carrots being supplied makes for a very good taste. He did note that due to the oversupply of local carrots in the market, the price is low, but the juice then becomes a value-added product. As such, eventually, the farmers would be earning more income.

_{San Carlos, Orange Walk farmers visit Silk Grass Farms}

Carillo commended the farmers in San Carlos for coming together and depositing their supply at one central location, making it easier for the BMDC pick-up. He reported that today, they would be purchasing 350 bags of 50-pounds each of carrots for transport to Silk Grass Farms.

One challenge that Carillo says they have to assess is transportation.

BMDC is marketing the new product via pop-up shops. They hope to get it to stores in Belize City and San Pedro next week. They will publish on their Facebook page at what stores it will soon be available. For now, it is available at the BMDC depot.

_{Belizean farmers visit farm in Peten cultivating Frito Lay variety potatoes}

15 Belize farmers visit Peten farm producing Frito Lay variety potatoes

While one group of farmers was visiting southern Belize, another group was taken to a potato farm in Peten, Guatemala to observe the production of Frito Lay 2312 variety potatoes. CEO Servulo Baeza told Amandala that since Peten has a tropical climate and soil conditions similar to Belize, they believe we can also produce the white potatoes here. The 15 farmers from Belize learned about environmentally friendly market practices, innovations for potato farming, and common diseases and viruses. Minister of Agriculture Jose Mai accompanied the farmers on the tour which concluded on Thursday, January 23.

Agriculture CEO Servulo Baeza considers the initiative promising. He informed that in 2024, PepsiCo officials visited Belize to explore whether Belizean farmers can cultivate the potatoes for their Frito Lay potato chips line. He said they would like to contract farmers to produce specifically for them, and it was their officials who encouraged the visit which was organized by the Ministry and BMDC. Some of our farmers are already conducting trials with the white potato seeds.