_{Photo: (l-r) Hon. Alex Balona, Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise; Hon. Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise}

by Orlando Pulido

SANTA ELENA TOWN, Cayo District, Sat. Aug. 10, 2024

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise held its fourth Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday, August 8, at the Heritage Building in Spanish Lookout. On the first day, it was an opportunity for the various technical experts from the Ministry of Agriculture to inform on their activities during the 2023 to 2024 period, and to gather inputs from the Ministry’s leaders.

Hon. Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise has indicated that Belize is currently food secure.

‘We are producers of our own food. We are the only exporters of grain in the region. No other Central American country, no other CARICOM [Caribbean Community] country has the reach, has done what we are doing right now. We are self-sufficient in all our grains, all our rice, all our staples – beans in this case – and we do a lot of vegetables. In terms of poultry, eggs, we are also very well positioned, and so we are supposed to now move towards industrialization of the agriculture sector,” he said.

The Ministry of Agriculture is also looking forward to more trade in the Americas.

“In terms of market access and logistics, it is far easier for us to access markets to El Salvador, to Guatemala, and to Mexico. In terms of population, Mexico has 123 million people, Guatemala has 18 million people and these countries are net importers of certain commodities. We produce corn, maybe not as cheap that they would want to buy it from the U.S. … Mexico imports rice, Guatemala imports corn, they import soy bean and we are self-sufficient and now reaching the point where we can export,” Minister Mai also said.

While Belize is self-sufficient in certain food items, there remain some challenges. The high prices of some vegetable products are of concern.

“We could do much better because we have great potential for production, an increase in productivity, and also lowering cost in comparison to other countries in this region. We say it is supply and demand, which means that when prices are going up it means that the producers are not supplying enough to the market, and therefore the prices going up, and that happens seasonally, because like this year, we had a very dry season; but that means that we should have more irrigated systems”, says Dr. Marcelino Avila, Senior Policy Adviser to Prime Minister John Briceño.

At this time, the price of habanero is $15.00 a pound, and yet Belize can produce it at $1.50 to $2.00 a pound, says Dr. Avila.

Dr. Marcelino Avila is recommending more climate-smart agriculture.

“There is a great potential, and there is a great need [for climate-smart agriculture], because the weather is not friendly nowadays; there is a bit of dry spells, and then when there aren’t dry spells we have too much rains sometimes and flooding, so it is something that we always have to manage very well. We have to be very good in drainage. We don’t have very good works for drainage, and also we have to be very good when it’s dry, so climate is getting to be more of a challenge for our producers,” he said.

He continued, “We are going to fast track all those agreements [agricultural agreements] with Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, if possible, because we have to look for markets, and there is great potential for export of food products, agricultural and food products.

According to Dr. Marcelino Avila, in the context of Plan Belize, “The first objective is to reduce poverty. In the rural areas, there is a lot of poor people; but in addition, we are looking for food security. We are looking for an increase in jobs, and most importantly to lift the standard of living of the people of Belize; and fortunately, in Belize we still have 55% of the population in rural areas, and the main activity there is agriculture.”

In a welcome address, Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, the Honorable Alex Balona confirmed that, “We have been faced with unpredictable weather patterns. We had an extended drought this year.” Balona said that our farmers must remain innovative and adaptable: “… to ensure that we lead.”

Gregorio Canto, from the Policy and Statistics Unit at the Ministry of Agriculture, reported that 16,263 farmers have been registered as of August 8, 2024. He reported that there has been a 27.5% increase in soursop production.

Enrique Rivas, who is in charge of fruit trees at the Ministry of Agriculture, reported that for the current year, some 8,000 coconut nuts had arrived from Jamaica. He reported that some 1.18 million pounds of coconuts have been exported to the United States of America and Mexico. Rivas also reported that there has been a 140% increase in acreage for Pitahaya as compared to 2022.

“Pitahaya is the most profitable crop at this time,” said Rivas.

In terms of Grains and Projects, Jose Novelo confirmed that Belize was self-sufficient with soybeans. Processing plants for soybeans are now being established in both Spanish Lookout and Blue Creek, he reported. But for citrus production, there had been a 79% reduction in 2023. (Citrus Products of Belize Limited has some growing interest from international investors.)

“We need to demonstrate to decision-makers that there is a future in the citrus industry,” said Novelo.

In his report, Clifford Martinez, a Climate Change Officer, stated that there was a recent one to three-degree centigrade rise in temperature: “which is greater than the global average.” This has impacted the fingerlings being grown by Miguel Sosa near Central Farm, since the ideal temperature for tilapia growth is 28 degrees Celsius.

Miriam Serrut, Registrar of Pesticides, informed that the objective for her section now was to update and strengthen the legal framework for the regulation of pesticides. To date, some 60 facilities handle pesticides across Belize.

“If you use pesticides make sure you do all the right things,” urged Serrut.

One promising unit at the Ministry of Agriculture is the Agro-Processing Unit, coordinated by Earvin Gentle. During his presentation, Earvin Gentle said that the unit can now produce Salsa Casera, pineapple, and sorrel jams, opening new doors to import substitution.

Dr. Marcelino Avilla assured the assembled technicians from the Ministry of Agriculture on the first day of the AGM, that Belize’s richest resource is its human capital. On the second day of the AGM, several development partners of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise also reported on their accomplishments.