Last week, we asked the Minister of Agriculture if the cost of sugar will increase to compete with prices in neighboring Guatemala and Mexico. He told us that B.S.I. has been requesting the increase, but they have not provided any justification for it. So, the Cabinet is yet to decide whether it will take that route to combat sugar smuggling. Well, Hugh O’Brien, the Lead Coordinator for the Commission of Inquiry into the sugar industry, believes that a sugar price increase is the perfect solution.
Hugh O’Brien
Hugh O’Brien, Lead Coordinator, Commission of Inquiry
“I mean the solution, the perfect solution to that will be a price adjustment, but that’s not an easy thing. And my own views on that is very different than a bit on the prime minister and my minister. To me, in my view, we should just allow sugar to be sold. Well, one, increase the price a little bit for the sugar that you have in the small bags. Plus this, what the Chinese man package and put in their small bags. And then you have, sugar that B.S.I. and Santander are allowed to produce and package nicely and properly labeled and have it with whatever stickers and beautiful coloring and whatever they want to put and have that sold for whatever price people are prepared to pay for it. Have two sugar in the local market that way there’ll be never be a sugar shortage.”
It’s been almost a decade since the Sheep and Goat Project was introduced in Belize by the Republic of China, Taiwan and Belize’s Ministry of Agriculture with the goal of expanding the sheep and goat industry and the project is still going strong. The sheep industry, while not comparable to Belize’s cattle industry in terms of consumption has displayed growth since the inception of the project and is still working its way up in numbers. In tonight’s episode of Belize on Reel, we take you to the Central Farm Agricultural Station in Cayo, where we learned why this project was implemented in Belize and how it has impacted the industry. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with that story.
Britney Gordon, reporting
How many sheep do you think are in Belize currently? One thousand? Five thousand? Or perhaps a hundred thousand? In 2015, a head count indicated that there were ten thousand sheep officially in the country. And now, almost a decade later, that number has almost doubled to eighteen thousand sheep. At the Central Farm Agricultural Station, in Cayo, this small but important industry is thriving. And while lamb may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a meal in Belize, for many farmers, their livelihoods depend on it. Elder Quewell, Field Manager of the Belize Sheep and Goat Project, tells us how the team has been working to get the industry going in the country.
Elder Quewell
Elder Quewell, Field Manager
“The main objective is basically to provide farmers with pure bred sheep and goat so that they can improve their stocks.”
Britney Gordon
“So it’s to diversify the stocks that they have and have it be better quality. How has this affected the sheep industry in Belize?”
Elder Quewell
“It has for example, it has increased the consumption, for example, from the starting point of the industry It was, consumption was zero point two nine and has incremented to one pound presently consumption of this. And it is continuing to expand as people get familiarized with the with the sheep.”
The consumption rate of sheep in Belize has tripled from zero point two nine pounds to one pound per person. But this change has occurred over a timespan of almost a decade. Quewell says that while the project is succeeding in growing the industry, he hopes that farmers would be able to access more opportunities as the industry continues to expand.
Britney Gordon
“Have you seen success in this project? Do people know about it? Are you seeing improvements in the breeds that people have?”
Elder Quewell
“Yes, there are improvements, however there has to be more opportunities given to the farmers as well, right? Because if they are able to produce good quality, they also need to provide a doorway so that they can have access to market.”
Britney Gordon
“Do you anticipate this project will continue to grow? What’s the future looking like for this project?”
Elder Quewell
“From my perception I can see that people here in Belize are starting to familiarize with the consumption, right? And there is where the demand starts. So I’m thinking that if we put the initiative and we put more focus into what is the ship, then that will be part of what will be more expansion.”
Aside from the sale of pure-bred sheep and goats, the team also assists farmers to better their stock through training sessions on how to prepare the feed for the animals, vaccinate and tag them and even how to properly prepare the meat in various dishes such as curry lamb. The preparation of this dish is taught to Belizeans across the country. The funding for this project came from the Republic of China, Taiwan, that has been a partner in this initiative since its inception in 2015. Next year, the Taiwanese government will be moving on to fund a different project. Benjamin Ma, a Sheep Project Specialist, tells us that giving Belize’s Sheep industry the opportunity to grow has been an important endeavor.
Benjamin Ma
Benjamin Ma, Sheep Project Specialist
“The Taiwan government is mostly funding this project and provide new technical to the sheep project. And I think mostly we are doing the breeding program more, because in Belize we don’t have the pure breed much so win this farm we provide one hundred percent pure. Three breeds, Katahdin, BBB, and the other Dorper.”
To ensure that the farmers have access to high quality sheep, the animals must be well taken care of. And for farmhand Misael Gonzalez, the wellbeing of these animals is a primary concern. He explains how the sheep are fed, vaccinated, groomed and loved by the workers.
Misael Gonzalez
Misael Gonzalez, Farmhand
“In the morning when we come here and take a walk to check the barn, see if any animal is good, any animal is injured or something. And then we get the feed, which is here, grass, which we go harvest outside. So we get the feed and we start feeding in the morning before that. Then we check the water trough, the water from them, see if it is clean or it needs clean. If it’s dirty, we wash it and we clean it and everything. And then we milk the babies because they can’t drink from their mom or something. We milk them and that’s all. We just take care of the rest.”
The job includes a list of responsibilities, however, Gonzalez says that being able to bond with the animals and help Belizean farmers gain access to quality sheep make the job fulfilling.
Britney Gordon
“Do you enjoy doing your job?
Misael Gonzalez
“Yeah, I enjoy it when I’m giving milk. Like the babies, they follow you and things like that. I just enjoy working here.”
Britney Gordon
“So why do you think that this job is important?”
Misael Gonzalez
“This job is important because we help other farmers to get better breeds, to get better sheep. Let’s say if they want, they don’t have a type of breed, we can sell them and give it to them so they get better breeds and things.”
The industry still has a long way to go, nonetheless, it is on the way to becoming an integral part of Belize’s agriculture industry. Britney Gordon for News Five.
New protocols are in place for cattle inspection prior to their exportation to Mexico. Today, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Jose Abelardo Mai said that the new system in place seems to be working well, based on two previous shipments since the change took place. The inspection, which was conducted by Mexican veterinarians from Senasica, is now being carried out by their Belizean counterparts who are appointed by OIRSA. This is the regional organization that deals with plant and animal health. Minister Mai says it is the hope that the transition continues seamlessly.
Jose Abelardo Mai
Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture & Food Security
“They asked us now to use our veterinarian, but a veterinarian that was to be appointed or assigned by OIRSA. So we have implemented that now. We’ve done two shipments and following that new protocol and it seems like it’s been – went very well. We were watching it closely to see what have been the hiccups, but it went very well. As a matter of fact, there is a meeting, I think on Monday to review that protocol, see where it went smooth, where we can improve because what you don’t want is when the cattle get to the border, it cannot be allowed to enter. That would be very unfortunate. But so far, the two shipments using the new protocol have gone through well.”
A rise in cattle deaths that was initially reported in May is no longer an issue. Today, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Jose Abelardo Mai told News Five that the onset of the hot season had also brought with it other issues for the farm animals. He said that officials from the Belize Agricultural Health Authority, BAHA, and the Agriculture Department visited the farms that were experiencing cattle deaths and gave recommendations. According to Mai, the problem has subsided.
Jose Abelardo Mai
Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture & Food Security
“They had made very sound recommendations. I think the problem they have found was normally, The nutrition first and foremost. It was the pig I dry. When animals do not eat well, they get vulnerable. They get compromised, their health get compromised. And so they had I think it was an excess of ticks. Or was it tick fever? I think it was. So the Baha and the Ministry of Agriculture gave recommendations. A few farmers followed it. They did well. Others who did not, they still had some problems. But I think we’ve passed that problem already.”
On Wednesday night, we told you about questionable land transactions in which several persons swept up thousands of acres of property, including prime real estate, across the country. The Government of Belize, through the Ministry of Natural Resources, has been working diligently with the Belize Police Department to uncover these dubious acquisitions. According to Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde, real estate agent Frik de Meyere was in possession of almost two thousand acres of land in Santa Cruz, Toledo District. But he never paid for the sprawling acreage and when villagers began making noise, government stepped in repossessed the land.
Cordel Hyde
Cordel Hyde, Minister of Natural Resources
“As I understand it, there were five or so parcels of four hundred acres. They came up to a shade or so under two thousand. He was, the people in Santa Cruz made an uproar about it. Santa Cruz is like a pivotal village in the south. Everybody from the farthest part in the south is prepared to come there, is prepared to go live there. Like, that is the fastest growing community in this country and he had two thousand acres of nice, nice land, but it’s a lease and he had purchase approval for those lands but he never paid. He never paid, so it remained national land so he did not fulfill his purchase conditions and so that allowed us to neatly take back those lands for and on behalf of the people of Belize and it didn’t cost us, fortunately.”
Businesswoman Doris Grant has been in the news recently for allegedly defrauding several persons out of land and has been charged with multiple counts of obtaining property by deception. It’s also part of an investigation that is being carried out by the Ministry of Natural Resources, in light of a bogus land clinic held in the Mennonite community of Shipyard. According to Minister Cordel Hyde, he’s aware of the fake land clinic, but he doesn’t know Doris Grant.
Cordel Hyde
Cordel Hyde, Minister of Natural Resources
“I’ve heard about that. I’ve not seen the pictures but we’ve had so many land clinics in the north and everybody across this country knows what a land clinic looks like.”
Reporter
“But these people had desks, computers, agents… dehn never had Cordel Hyde.”
Cordel Hyde
“We weren’t there, we heard about it after the fact, you know, and we have land clinics all the time and these persons know what it looks like. They know the amount of persons and the kind of work we get done and the kind of grinding that takes place and these land clinics are oftentimes held in public buildings, held in auditoriums or schools or community centers. But mein, that’s a developing story, that’s a crazy story, I don’t know where that’s going to end up, but we are cooperating with the authorities and trying to be as helpful as we possibly can. To be honest with you, I don’t know Doris Grant, you know, I don’t know Doris Grant personally. I’ve only heard about her. Like, that’s a very popular name, but I’ve never…”
Reporter
“According to Chester Williams, who noh know Doris Grant?”
Cordel Hyde
“Dah one person I noh know. I don’t know Doris Grant, I’ve head that name so many times, but I don’t know her. Interestingly enough I met the mother recently because I know the mother, so I was excited to see her recently. I didn’t even know it was her mother, it was after she left that I was told that’s Doris Grant’s mother. I said, okay. That’s a classy lady, but I don’t know Doris Grant personally and I didn’t get a dollar out of that five million dollars. I don’t know her.”
In an update to a story that we ran on June fifth, involving a distraught mother of two who claims that her children are shut out of her dead husband’s life insurance benefits, News Five understands that Claudia Yama had successfully applied for and was granted legal separation from Leonardo Yama Senior prior to his death in April of last year. As such, the former police officer left his life insurance benefits to his sister. His decision to do so cannot be breached by his estranged wife. The insurance documents presented to us do not indicate that the late Mister Yama left any legal, contractual, equitable, fiduciary or moral obligation on his sister to care for his widow or his children. Accordingly, it is wholly up to Claudia Yama’s sister-in-law whether she wishes to share anything with her niece and nephew.
Cayo North Area Representative Michel Chebat has successfully sued the Guardian Newspaper and its editor and has been awarded fifty-five thousand dollars in damages for defamation and twenty-five thousand dollars for aggravated damages. It follows a decision handed down by the Senior Courts in a matter that was filed by Chebat after the newspaper published an article titled Chebat’s Costly Panamanian Connection. Minister Chebat was represented by attorney Leeroy Banner.
BELTRAIDE’s second Micro-Small and Medium Enterprise Roadshow opened this morning in Orange Walk Town. The event aims to give economic support to these businesses to start and keep their operations running. This is key in Belize’s development, since M.S.M.E.s are responsible for as much as seventy percent of our country’s G.D.P. This second roadshow has seen adjustments to the initial one in 2022, according to Executive Director of BELTRAIDE, Doctor Leroy Almendarez, and the inclusion of two more destinations. News Five’s Marion Ali and Darrel Moguel were in Orange Walk Town for the launch and filed this report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Belize currently has roughly two thousand micro, small and medium enterprises that are registered with the Belize Trade and Investment Development Service. And with the launch of BELTRAIDE’s second roadshow today, the organization hopes that this number will increase significantly. Today, the prime minister noted the importance of having these mini businesses in a developing Belize.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“M.S.M.E.s fuel our communities, create jobs, and they drive innovation. They are diverse, ranging from family-owned mom and pop shops, such as what we see from farmers’ daughters to tech startups on service providers to artisans. They fuel our orange economy most importantly, and listen to this, they contribute to more than 50 percent of G.D.P., approximately 70 percent of employment.”
A major part of the success that these small businesses enjoy is access to financial capital. They can access funding to either get started or to remain open. International financial institutions, like I.D.B., are key partners in this process. Rocio Medina-Bolivar spoke of relevant ways that I.D.B. has been instrumental to M.S.M.E.s.
Rocio Medina-Bolivar
Rocio Medina-Bolivar, Country Rep., I.D.B
“We have the promotion of digitalization of M.S.M.E.s and governance services, providing digital training to workers and supporting approximately 200 M.S.M.E.s to enhance their business processes inclusively. With our private sector window, I.D.B. lab, we are supporting projects like Let’s Go Belize, which assists M.S.M.E.s in tourism by enhancing their digital presence and leveraging technology to improve their services, or B.C.C.I., that supports the adoptions of digital technologies within M.S.M.E.s with a gender lens. Also, recognizing the importance of global market exposure for M.S.M.E.s, the trade facilitation investment project funded by the I.D.B. empowers local M.S.M.E.s to become exporters, establishing together and supporting the government to establish a single trade window for small and medium exporters.”
Tyree Lizama is the owner of Farmers’ Daughters, a small enterprise she opened in 2022 when COVID was wreaking havoc on lives and businesses.
Tyree Lizama
Tyree Lizama, Owner, Farmers’ Daughters
“My husband and I, we thought it was a good idea that we come up with some kind of business that we can help our family with. And we were inspired to help our daughters. I have two daughters ages nine and 10 and from this project, we wanted to teach them entrepreneurship. And so we started the, we started first with making cooked beans for businesses in Belize City. And from there we ventured off into making seaweed products. So I started with Bell Trade in 2022. I was one of the winners from the roadshow events. And from the funds that I received, it helped me to buy equipment and further my business.”
Executive Director, Dr. Leroy Almendarez explained to us that BELTRAIDE helps entrepreneurs with their businesses from the point of conception.
Dr. Leroy Almendarez
Dr. Leroy Almendarez, Executive Director, BELTRAIDE
“We hold your hand until you let go of ours. And so once you’re registered and you’re working with us and we continue to tell, we continue to say register because there’s so many benefits. I mentioned benefits like economic incentives. If you want to get custom duty or exemptions for products from materials that you need in your business for inputs. Once you’re registered, it’s easier than because you have a tax identification number that you use with customs in order to access or get those exemptions. And so if you, if they find out they’re having challenges, they can always call Bell Trade. In fact, they do. If and don’t be afraid. Someone, we have advisors that cover this country as well. We start to help you from your conceptualizing. What is it that I want to do? What market do I want to get to? Because that’s another thing. Don’t just go into a market. Know what’s operating within the market. So we collect market intelligence and can guide you and say that market is full. It’s flooded. If you’re going there, it’s going to cost you more and the benefits, the profits have already declined. So start something new. Never be afraid to be a leader so we can provide that market intelligence to you.”
Ishmael Quiroz is the Executive Director of the Economic Development Council. It is government’s official mechanism for dialogue between the public and private sectors.
Ishmael Quiroz
Ishmael Quiroz, Executive Director, Economic Development Council
“One of the things that we champion in addition to innovation is business climate reform, so anything that facilitates being able to do business in Belize, and that includes making it easy for small enterprises to participate in the formal economy.”
Marion Ali
And if there are challenges that they’re facing, would you play a role in trying to get them back on track?
Ishmael Quiroz
“Absolutely. So one of the functions of the public private desk unit in the office of the prime minister is to bring both public and private sector stakeholders together to identify and deliver solutions to make it easier to do business in Belize. Sometimes that involves digitalization of government services. Other times it means simplification of processes, and sometimes it just requires good communication and standardization of information.”
Prime Minister Briceno pledged to make accessing to financing and support systems much easier for small businesses.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“We are committed to building on this momentum of the roadshow through championing access to finance by streamlining loan processes and exploring innovative financing solutions, reducing the burden of regulation by simplifying legislation, policies and procedures that foster a business-friendly environment, promoting buy Belizean by encouraging government procurement from local businesses and empowering consumers to choose Belizean made products, investing in skills development by promoting training programs that equip M.S.M.E.s with the tools they need to thrive.”
The roadshow will travel to Punta Gorda June twenty-seventh to the twenty-ninth. Marion Ali for News Five.
The success rate that BELTRAIDE’s 2024 Roadshow is expected to help micro and small businesses to achieve is something that one area representative says he would like to see more of in his constituency. Today we asked Orange Walk South Area Representative, Jose Abelardo Mai, whose background is in agriculture, how this field of work can be merged with the business aspect that BELTRAIDE offers. He said that he would like to see more farmers register with BELTRAIDE and benefit from its services.
Jose Abelardo Mai, Area Representative, Orange Walk South
“I’m very keen on listening and to see how the farmers can make themselves register and benefit but we have to, we are studying carefully, and we will get our ministry involved with Belgrade to see how our farmers can register and benefit, have the same benefits as a, person who is an investor in tourism or other small businesses.”
