Is Climate Change Influencing the High Cost of Local Goods?

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, 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.”