BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Apr. 16, 2020– Over time, the Mennonite group, with their superior organization and financing, has come to dominate the production of staples in Belize, while the children of traditional farming families have moved into employment with the government services and in tourism. The entry of COVID-19, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March, has jolted the economic chain, with some sections of our economy grinding to a halt.

This closure of some sections of the economy is affecting everybody. The Mennonites, and other farmers, have food, aplenty, but most Belizeans are unemployed, so they have no money to buy. Another effect of the pandemic is a slowdown in global trade, and this translates to staples which were destined for the export market being added to the stockpile of food in Belize.

Mr. Allen Reimer, a leading poultry producer of the Mennonite group in Spanish Lookout, told KREM’s Evan Hyde, Jr., on his Youtube program, Talk To Mi, that the demand for chicken has dropped 50%, and that they are fast running out of storage space for birds that have reached market weight. Reimer said they believe that the decreased buying power of Belizeans who lost their jobs is at the bottom of reduced demand. He said that more than 50% of the eggs in the hatchery have been culled, to reduce the supply of baby chicks.

Reimer said that their records show that Belize only consumes about 30% of the cattle it produces, and now exports to Guatemala and Mexico have dried up. The sale of cattle is largely informal, for unexplained reasons, and recently villagers on the corridor where the informal trade is carried on with Guatemala, probably for fear of COVID-19 being brought into their village by strangers, have taken to blocking the movement of trucks with livestock.

The trouble for the livestock industry is exacerbated by the fact that we are now in the dry season, and that means the pastures will be producing less feed at a time when we are overstocked. Reimer said he learned that dairy farmers have had to dump milk because there is no market for it. He said the farmers are turning a lot of milk into cheese, but they have trouble selling their product because there are large stocks of imported cheese in the stores.

Reimer said nobody made preparations for COVID-19 and at this time farmers don’t have the capacity to process UHT (Ultra High Temperature) milk, and the mechanisms for moving fresh milk aren’t there. Reimer said that dairy producers have had discussions with CPBL, the only company in Belize that has the machinery that’s necessary to produce UHT products, but those discussions are in the very early stages. If the milk went through the UHT process it wouldn’t have to be refrigerated to increase its shelf life.

Reimer said he had heard the reports about pigs in the north that were ready for the market, with nowhere to go. He said it would be good if farmers could sell all their surplus to the government, and that they would be glad to support food programs for people who are in need. Reimer said that the possibility of another drought is worrying, but the will of farmers is there and that they will survive if the banks are lenient.

He said the food security in the country is not jeopardized because we are pulling back on exports, but the economic side for the farmers is getting very tough.

As hurtful, and immoral, as it is to dump food, it might be too costly to save excess fresh milk at this time, however there are ready solutions for the excess beef and pork. The government, or Belizeans who have a little cash to spare, should purchase the livestock that is ready for the market and distribute fresh meat to families that don’t have a good stock of food. Any excess supply of beef and pork can be stored in brine. Most Belizeans are not averse to eating salted beef and pork.

Feature photo: Allen Reimer