G.O.B. Attempts to Revive Dying Citrus Industry in Southern Belize  

The Government of Belize earmarked fifteen million dollars to pump into the citrus industry through the Development Finance Corporation. But citrus industry stakeholders did not take advantage of the funding. Minister Jose Mai says confidence is low among investors in the industry due to citrus greening and low yields. But he also noted that the tide seems to be turning, as the industry tests a variety of citrus trees that are proving to be more resilient to H.L.B., or citrus greening. Furthermore, global citrus prices are at a record high.

 

Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture 

“We allocated ten million dollars, fifteen million, but if it was a hundred million they still wouldn’t take the money. The farmers didn’t go for the money. One, i think the price has to be good. And there has to be some kind of confidence in investing. You ask me right now, you want to invest more in sugar cane? I would tell you no period. You ask me to invest in citrus and I would tell you no until I see how the new varieties are doing and how the industry is managed and structured. The industry has gone through a lot in the past. From 2008 we had the disease. There were no major attention given to the industry until when we won and we said let us go and inject fifteen million dollars and nobody went for it. It means that they are saying hold on I am not sure if this thing is being managed in the right way. Now, we are seeing that new varieties are looking good and the prices are going up. So there are only two things that motivate, one thing that motivate a producer it has to be profit led, not money making, because you may be making a lot of money, but not profit. Up to now, four hundred to five hundred thousand boxes have been delivered which is better than last year. Two is that we have exported forty containers of fresh fruit to the CARICOM. And the third is that the new varieties which we believed has a level of tolerance of resistance to the disease are performing well today. So that is a silver lining.”