BELIZE CITY, Thurs. May 26, 2022
Earlier this week, the primary supplier of meat in the country, Running W Brand Meats, announced via social media that they won’t be attending this year’s Agriculture Trade Show, which will be taking place over the upcoming tweekend in Belmopan.
The company then pointed to the reason for its decision to be a no-show at the event: a shortage of local beef and pork in the country.
The irony of a reported shortage of beef in the country is that, over recent months, the current administration has been jubilant about the lowering of trade barriers between Belize and neighboring countries in the region that has allowed local livestock farmers to export hundreds of head of cattle—particularly to the SuKarne company in Mexico.
In a press release issued in September 2021, the Government of Belize Press Office had stated, “SuKarne is a Mexican multinational corporation based in Culiacán, Mexico that operates in the food protein industry. The company annually exports the largest percentage of beef, pork, and chicken in Mexico and also operates in the food processing industry. It is expected that the situation for the beef cattle industry in Belize will continue improving as better-quality beef animals are introduced into the national herd and export markets are secured abroad with the neighbouring countries of Guatemala and Mexico.” Questions have now arisen about whether export revenue is being prioritized over the needs of the local population.
However, the principal Agriculture Officer and Director of Livestock in the Ministry of Agriculture, Belarmino Esquivel, denied claims that there is a shortage of beef in the country.
“Certainly there is no shortage of beef to start with. We are self-sufficient in beef and other livestock products like poultry and eggs, so we do have enough beef. What’s basically happening is that the people who have come to this country from Guatemala and Mexico have raised the price significantly. About two weeks ago, the price was about $2.50; the price right now is about $2.20, $2.35 up to $2.40, and in some instances $2.45 per pound by the hoof, and what the local processing meat shops are paying is $2.15. That’s about the maximum price they’re paying to producers. So what the producers are basically doing right now, most of them are going for the better price, the higher price, so that’s where we stand,” said Esquivel.
He also commented on the rising prices of fertilizer, grain, and other key imports used by farmers.
“Well, you know, globally, there’s a scarcity of food. The war between Russia and Ukraine has distorted markets and has made input and services increase up to 100%, so certainly, the up-in price farmers are happy. They’re the ones happily always looking forward [to] an increase, primarily now that fuel prices inputs and fertilizers have significantly increased. So we the ministry are looking for alternative ways to maximize production without looking fully dependent on synthetic fertilizers,” said Esquivel.