One solution the Ministry of Agriculture is considering to tackle the rise in screwworm cases is setting up a slaughterhouse in Belize. Minister Mai believes that exporting live animals isn’t the best approach. Instead, he thinks Belize could benefit much more from exporting premium cuts of meat.
Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture
“We have to look at what are the options on our table. As I explained today, this could be an opportunity. We can convert this challenge into an opportunity. Exporting cattle is not the best thing to do. Exporting a raw product is not the best thing to do. We export cacao beans and we import chocolate. We export corn and import corn chips. We export raw sugar and import Tate and Lyle refined sugar. That is nonsense. We export beef and some people in Belize wants to import cuts from American sources. So this challenge can be converted into an opportunity. It is time for us to look seriously at a slaughtering facility, certified that we can export to these other slaughtering facilities, our cuts, maybe whole cuts, shoulders, the quarters, we can begin with that. The argument is we don’t have enough volume to sustain it. Well, lets partner with the same company. Carne has a slaughtering facility in Nicaragua. As a matter of fact, we have a meeting today at one thirty, it is almost one-thirty now, with a company that wants to speak with us about that.”
The Central Bank recently announced that inflation is now mainly driven by the rising cost of domestic goods, especially the foods we produce. Minister of Agriculture Jose Abelardo Mai explains that there are several reasons for these increasing and persistent costs, but the biggest culprit, he says, is climate change.
Jose Abelardo Mai
Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture
“There are a number of reasons why costs go up right. Last year the same time we had the inflation spike again. The weather patterns, not only in Belize, but in Mexico. Excess rainfall has caused loses to the farmers. So you have loses, less product, supply and demand. And so the farmers right now. I got a call moments ago that the farmers in San Carlos, carrots are not doing goo. So the farmers that take a thousand pounds will take five hundred pounds. So his carrots gone up. He have loses. So, the little carrots that he has he will try to get a better price for it. But it is a natural reaction. Again, you hear the term climate change over and over. The soy beans, we have fifty percent lost right now. The millers jump up quick and say minister give us the license to import soy beans. I say, wait. Buy what the farmers have first. Obviously the farmer wants a little more, because he lost. WE live in the humid tropics. We subject to some of the worst diseases, worst pest, worst conditions to grow crops in. So, last year was the same exact thing.”
Paul Lopez
“What sort of relief can the ministry think about issuing?”
Jose Abelardo Mai
“One of the things discussed is crop insurance, but it aint cheap. There is nothing cheap nowadays.”
The cost of living in Belize has been steadily rising, even as it declines in other parts of the world. While the COVID pandemic initially drove up prices on supermarket shelves, those prices have been dropping globally—just not as quickly in Belize. Today, Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde clarified that the government isn’t to blame, as they haven’t raised a single tax on grocery items. He pointed the finger at the merchants instead. We asked him about the government’s efforts to discourage merchants from hiking up their prices.
Cordel Hyde
Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister
“There’s a time of the year when they collect a lot of money, and there’s a time of the year when they don’t. And then usually, they have problems meeting their bills in the times when they don’t, but if you’ve had the contract for as long as you’ve had the contract and there’s no other business in town., there’s no other game in town. Then you have to be able to sit down and reason and work through these things. Like, you shouldn’t get here. And then, I mean, the city’s dirty as it is. Even with the garbage being picked up on a regular basis. So, something’s gonna have to give. So, I think central government is going to have to sit with local government and find out exactly what is the situation and see what we can do from here.”
Reporter
“Will you advocate or suggest a garbage tax?”
Cordel Hyde
“We’re not there. We’ve not been there for the last six years. I don’t see why we would have to go there now. We just have to figure out how to pay our bills and make sure that we’re consistent with that. I mean, they’ve been doing it for the last six years. I see no reason why they shouldn’t, why they can’t continue to do that. So, I am not advocating for the garbage tax at all.”
Earlier, we mentioned that the Ministry of Agriculture is working hard to keep Belize free of screwworm. However, there’s another issue at hand—a fungal disease called fusarium has led the ministry to declare a state of emergency in the sugar industry. This disease is reportedly affecting forty thousand acres of sugar cane. So, how will this impact the start of the 2024/2025 sugar crop? We asked Minister Mai for his insights.
Jose Abelardo Mai
Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture
“We declared a state of emergency. We had an S.I. signed two weeks ago declaring a state of emergency. Under the previous act, there was no provision for that. So, we had to amend the act to include plant and animal diseases to try to draw down resources from our neighbors, partners in development. I was at COP 29 for the first time in my life, and I went there not to profile or take picture. My message was very clear. Our farmers are suffering from the effects of climate change. What are we going to do about it? While I was there I spoke to my team and they presently formally requests from ICA. It has been approved in principle. So what we are working on is the details of the resources that will come to us to help us find a way to mitigate the effects of fusarium. It has to be a program. It is not a silver bullet. It is a whole program that will include biologi9cal control, different cropping systems, integrated crop management, new varieties, bringing in varieties from Brazil that that are resistant to fusarium. ICA will provide money for that.”
Paul Lopez
“What is the implications of the state of emergency for the start of the sugar crop?”
Jose Abelardo Mai
“The crop will begin, as soon as weather improves. If there is enough cane out there to start, we will start. We have to continue. The fields that have fusarium will eventually die out.”
Today, the Belize City Civic Center buzzed with excitement as owners and managers of micro, small, and medium enterprises gathered for BELTRAIDE’s seventh entrepreneurship convention. This event marked the grand finale of a year-long celebration of entrepreneurship month. Dubbed EntreCon 2024, the convention focused on the theme “Powering Small Businesses with Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.” News Five’s Marion Ali filed this report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Today, BELTRAIDE wrapped up a year full of activities for micro, small, and medium enterprises. It all kicked off with a countrywide roadshow that connected small business owners with the formal sector, banks, and the advantages of using artificial intelligence (AI). BELTRAIDE’s Executive Director, Ishmael Quiroz, explained that the convention aimed to bring together everyone involved in micro, small, and medium businesses, along with public and private agencies that support business development.
Ishmael Quiroz
Ishmael Quiroz, Executive Director, BELTRAIDE
“The idea is to come together and share information, provide knowledge and a networking opportunity and have a space to reflect on a specific topic relevant to small business development. BELTRAIDE can always be contacted at www.BELTRAIDE.bz and we have continuous training support services on offer and please feel free to contact, become a client of the Small Business Development Centre and access the services that are available.”
Wilana Oldham, the owner of Hot Mama’s Belize, spoke at EntreCon today. She shared how her company has expanded over the years, adding more hot sauces and condiments to their lineup, all with the support and guidance of BELTRAIDE.
Wilana Oldham
Wilana Oldham, Owner, Hot Mama’s Belize
“Over the years they have really helped me in so many different ways – going to trade shows, taking my product to trade shows, getting training, just opening up a lot of avenues for me, so I totally recommend any entrepreneur out there that’s considering, they must get involved with BELTRAIDE because they do bring a lot to the table.”
One of the hottest tools in concept and design development right now is artificial intelligence. Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde stepped in for Prime Minister John Briceno at today’s event. Hyde highlighted that AI can significantly boost small businesses, and the government is all in on promoting its use for this purpose.
Cordel Hyde
Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister
“There’s so many things the government is doing where AI and big data is concerned for small businesses, and to give these businesses an opportunity to succeed, like, you can’t be left behind, you have to participate, you have to get with the program, so we have to embrace it, we have to navigate it, but we have to try to manage it too, because it can go wrong in a lot of ways, but it can do so many good.”
Individuals who want to start their own small business can contact BELTRAIDE for technical advice and guidance at www.BELTRAIDE.bz. Marion Ali for News Five.
The Belize City Council has faced this issue many times before, struggling to pay its garbage collection fees. It seems the problem has resurfaced, and the central government might need to step in. Today, Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde explained that City Hall experiences peak and slow seasons for collections, and as it enters a slow season, it is having trouble meeting its commitments. However, he does not support introducing a garbage tax on residents to cover the shortfall.
Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister
“There’s a time of the year when they collect a lot of money, and there’s a time of the year when they don’t. And then usually, they have problems meeting their bills in the times when they don’t, but if you’ve had the contract for as long as you’ve had the contract and there’s no other business in town., there’s no other game in town. Then you have to be able to sit down and reason and work through these things. Like, you shouldn’t get here. And then, I mean, the city’s dirty as it is. Even with the garbage being picked up on a regular basis. So, something’s gonna have to give. So, I think central government is going to have to sit with local government and find out exactly what is the situation and see what we can do from here.”
Reporter
“Will you advocate or suggest a garbage tax?”
Cordel Hyde
“We’re not there. We’ve not been there for the last six years. I don’t see why we would have to go there now. We just have to figure out how to pay our bills and make sure that we’re consistent with that. I mean, they’ve been doing it for the last six years. I see no reason why they shouldn’t, why they can’t continue to do that. So, I am not advocating for the garbage tax at all.”
Earlier this week, a flyer promoting businessman Lee Mark Chang as a U.D.P. candidate for Mesopotamia started making the rounds online. The idea of a Tracy Panton supporter potentially challenging incumbent Area Representative Moses “Shyne” Barrow grabbed the public’s attention. However, Mark later denied any prior knowledge of the flyer and didn’t confirm his candidacy. We spoke with Freetown Area Rep Francis Fonseca to get his reaction to his former opponent’s potential run.
Reporter
“What do you think of your former opponent. Lee Mark supposedly seemingly thinking about running in Mesop?”
Francis Fonseca
Francis Fonseca, Area Representative, Free Town
“Interesting development. I really honestly I’ve not had an opportunity to pay much attention to the ongoing circus in the UDP. But obviously that development, if it takes place would be another very serious layer in terms of this drama that’s playing out for us. So we’ll have to wait and see.”
Ralston Frazer is a familiar face to Belmopan residents. As the former City Administrator and a past councilor, he’s now stepping up as the standard bearer for Belmopan under Moses “Shyne” Barrow’s leadership. Today, he told News Five that he’s been a loyal U.D.P member for many years and feels it’s time to serve the community in a new way. We asked him about his chances, especially with his party in disarray and an election likely less than a year away.
Ralston Frazer, U.D.P. Standard Bearer, Belmopan
“With God, all things possible, humanly speaking, and according to the current situation, under which the UDP exists and so forth, one would more than likely conclude that our chances of winning is not very good, but I firmly believe, like have been seen before in history, in political arenas, including in Belize, the political party, things can turn, a switch can be flipped and things can turn, and the UDP can become a quite formidable entity over the next, I don’t know, whatever month for whenever the PM calls election. So I think the chances of winning is always left to a day to day situational position. If can get ourselves together, I firmly believe within the next month, two months, I believe, if we have that much time, I believe we can, we can make a mark. But the UDP is going through a lot of internal warfare right now. Unfortunately, yes. And so the voters are saying out there, well, it’s not even a strong opposition. How will it make a strong government? Well, I’ll tell you this. When a strong person is sick, the strong person has become not strong because he or she is sick, but with the right medication, with the right doctors, with the right prognosis and so forth, that person can recover and can recover quite speedily and become that strong person that they were just days before they got sick. So for me, being weak is not a permanent state. Being weak is a situation that can change with the correct importation of what you need.”
Land clinics were a hit when Plan Belize announced that the P.U.P government would make it easier for first-time landowners to get a piece of land. But it’s been a while since we’ve heard any updates. Today, the media asked the Minister of Natural Resources, Cordel Hyde, about the progress. He admitted that the tedious process has been taking a toll on him.
Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister
“Land clinics have slowly been killing me. It’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of work. We’ve been – we’ve had so many clinics all over the country, but it is how we carry them upon to the people of Belize. It’s how we make the services that are far out of reach of ordinary people accessible to them and lots of time like Monday I was involved with a family for an hour and a half solving a problem -an hour and a half. Normally you don’t get to do that, but that problem has been solved for twenty years, and I think we finally figured out how to solve it.”
Earlier this week, Belize’s Ambassador to Guatemala, Jose Alpuche, met with Guatemalan officials at the Municipal Office of Melchor de Mencos. They tackled several pressing issues, including border security, transportation, and energy. Today, Minister of Foreign Affairs Francis Fonseca shared more details about these important discussions.
Francis Fonseca
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs
“It was just a part of his normal duties. He engages with these communities. We’re always looking for opportunities to strengthen our cooperation and ties. And we’ve been looking at border issues, in particular trade issues. That’s essentially what he was doing.”
Reporter
“And a part of it that they had mentioned was electricity, but someone mentioned that in Belize we have our own issues with electricity. So how would that work?”
Francis Fonseca
“It’s all a part of our plan for developing more sustainable alternatives, energy alternatives renewable energy. So there are many people in the private sector, both here and outside of Belize in the region who are interested in what is happening here in Belize and providing energy not only to Belize, but to the region. That’s what he was talking about. That’s what they were talking about. A sort of fact finding mission to to determine exactly how we can address these issues and look at possible projects, especially as you mentioned in the area of energy. Renewable energy.”
