2024-09-25 - Channel 5 Belize

How Did Belize Achieve a $136 Million Economic Growth?

Belize’s economy experienced a significant boost in the second quarter of 2024, with a preliminary Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimate of $1.432 billion. This is according to the Statistical Institute of Belize’s (SIB) latest figures shared today. This marks a 10.5% increase, or $136 million, compared to $1.296 billion during the same period in 2023.

Christopher Hulse, Statistician II in the Economic Statistics Department, said that growth was evident across all three economic sectors. The economic sectors mentioned in the report include three main categories. The primary sector encompasses industries involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as agriculture, fishing, and mining. The report highlights agricultural industries like citrus, bananas, sugarcane, and livestock, as well as fishing. The secondary sector involves manufacturing and construction activities, including food production, beverages, electricity, water, and construction. The tertiary sector focusses on service-based industries, which include wholesale and retail trade, accommodation and food services, transportation, financial services and insurance, and government services.

According to Hulse, the primary sector rebounded with activities valued at $107.8 million, up 5.6% from the previous year. Key agricultural gains included a surge in citrus production, which rose from 1.9 thousand metric tonnes to 4.8 thousand metric tonnes, along with increases in banana (22.9%) and sugarcane (14.1%) production.

The secondary sector expanded by 8.4%, or $210.8 million, driven primarily by a 35.5% increase in electricity generation and a 7.3% rise in construction. However, manufacturing faced challenges, with flour production declining by 7.5%.

The tertiary sector, the largest contributor at $911.8 million, saw a 10.5% increase. Notable growth was recorded in accommodation and food services (33%), and wholesale and retail trade (23.1%).

SIB’s Director General, Diana Castillo-Trejo, says that climate change continues to affect all sectors, particularly agriculture, where adverse weather has damaged crops. “It is fair enough to say that climate change is having an impact probably across all the sectors of the economy. The most obvious one is agriculture,” she said, adding, “It is important to note that electricity production refers to what we produce locally, excluding imported electricity.”

Belize’s economy is rebounding strongly, with a 10.5% growth in Q2 2024 driven by improvements across all sectors. However, the recognition of climate change impacts highlights ongoing vulnerabilities.

Spending Slowdown Ahead? Belize’s Consumer Confidence Decreases

In its third press conference of 2024, the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB) reported a drop in the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) for August, which fell to 43.6—down 3.8% from July’s 45.4. The decrease in the overall CCI for August follows several months of consistent upward growth that began in May 2024. According to Acting Manager, Economic Statistics Department, Statistician 1, Jaqueline Sabal, this decline is mainly attributed to significant reductions in the ‘Durable Goods’ and ‘Expectations’ components, which decreased by 6.2% and 5.4%, respectively.

The CCI serves as a vital indicator of consumer sentiment regarding the economy, personal financial situations, and willingness to make major purchases. Given that household spending is a key driver of economic activity, shifts in the CCI can provide early indicators of future economic growth.

According to Sabal, urban consumers saw a 1.6% decline in CCI, heavily influenced by a 6.5% drop in durable goods sentiment. Rural areas, on the other hand, experienced a sharper decline of 5.4%, particularly in the ‘Expectations’ sub-index, which fell from 59.6 to 55.1.

By gender, males reported a 4.2% drop in confidence, while females saw a 3.1% decrease. The most notable decline occurred among consumers aged 35-44, with a 13% drop, while those aged 25-34 reported an 11.5% increase.

Ethnic disparities also emerged, as the Garifuna and Maya groups faced the largest declines, with the Garifuna CCI dropping from 51.5 to 45.9.

Overall, the August figures indicate growing pessimism among residents about their finances and the economy. It reflects increasing consumer caution regarding financial outlook and major purchases, signalling a potential slowdown in spending that could impact economic growth.

Man Found Dead in Bella Vista

News Five has learned that a man was found dead earlier today in Bella Vista Village, Toledo District. Pictures show investigators and scene of crime technicians on the scene. Videos show a man lying motionless on the ground. We are told that he was stabbed by his brother who is in police custody.

This is a developing story.

NHC Monitors Two Systems Brewing in the Atlantic

As Hurricane Helene makes its way through the Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center is closely monitoring two other developing systems in the Atlantic.

The first, a broad low-pressure system identified as AL98, is situated near the Cabo Verde Islands and is producing disorganised shower and thunderstorm activity. Conditions are favourable for gradual development, with an estimated 60% formation chance.

The second system, AL99, is a low-pressure area located off Bermuda. This system is currently producing storm-force winds. The formation chance for AL99 is low at 10% in the next 48 hours, with a slight increase to 20% over the following week.

Wellness Week 2024 Brings Belize Together

This year’s Wellness Week is bringing together individuals across the nation under the theme, “Greater social cohesion, better health.”

The initiative highlights the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Caribbean and SICA region.

Karen Lewis Bell, representative of PAHO/WHO, discussed the theme on Open Your Eyes on Tuesday morning. She stated, “This is really about the importance of attachment, engagement, solidarity, individuals coming together to promote health and well-being; because we realise that when there is attachment, certainly our youths would be less engaged in gang violence and use of illicit drugs.” Bell added, “When communities get together, we support each other; there is a sense of belonging, and it does a lot for our health, not just our physical health, but our mental health as well.”

Robyn Faber, nutritionist for the Ministry of Health and Wellness, said, “Our focus at the Ministry is really to bring people together, look at programs, activities, and interventions that we can support together as a team, having healthy communities, healthy schools.”

This year, the ministry involved Miss Universe Belize, Halima Hoy, in its initiatives.

The ministry organised a series of activities across every district for Wellness Week, dedicating each day to a specific focus. Monday kicked off with a theme of solidarity, while Tuesday highlighted Disability-Inclusion Day, promoting rehabilitation for differently-abled individuals.

Today, Wellness Wednesday is centred on raising awareness of chronic diseases and STDs in workplaces. Looking ahead, Thursday will focus on early detection of cancer and family planning, culminating on Friday with “Better Together Friday,” which includes a Socathon in Belmopan to promote physical activity and community engagement.

Guatemala to Send 150 Soldiers to Haiti

At the 79th U.N. General Assembly, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo announced that his country would deploy 150 military police officers to support Haiti in its fight against violent gangs. This decision comes as the UN-backed mission, currently led by Kenyan police officers, faces challenges related to personnel and funding.

However, Arévalo did not provide details on the timeline for the deployment of the military police. Currently, there are nearly 400 Kenyan officers in Haiti, in addition to approximately two dozen personnel from Jamaica and two senior military officers from Belize who arrived earlier this month.

The mission aims to have a total of 2,500 personnel, with further contributions expected from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, and Chad, although the exact timing of their deployments remains uncertain.

Digital Tool Launched to Track Disease Outbreaks in Wildlife in Belize

A new digital tool has been activated to monitor and report outbreaks of diseases in wild animals in real-time, with the goal of protecting the health of animals, humans, and the environment. The governments of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize are running a pilot program using the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool for Health (Smart for Health), allowing field data on wildlife mortality and disease symptoms to be recorded and transmitted instantly to veterinarians and technical personnel for swift intervention.

The Smart for Health tool enables federal personnel and community guards working in protected natural areas to record and track disease outbreaks using mobile devices. The technology strengthens epidemiological surveillance by providing early detection of pests and diseases in wildlife, which could pose threats to livestock, public health, and environmental balance.

The initiative, part of the “Pandemic Prevention and Response, One Health” global program funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, involves specialists from agencies like Mexico’s National Agro-alimentary Health, Safety, and Quality Service (Senasica), the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp), and Guatemala’s General Directorate of Animal Health (DGSA).

One of the tool’s key advantages is its ability to function without an internet connection, automatically recording data and saving geolocation coordinates. This feature is especially useful in remote areas, ensuring that data is collected even during field patrols in the most isolated regions.

The multinational collaboration, supported by the “Selva Maya” program and implemented by the German Technical Cooperation (GIZ), aims to improve preventive health systems and build a comprehensive database on emerging zoonotic diseases in the Maya jungle region. The Smart for Health tool, already in use across more than 70 countries, is critical for the rapid detection of wildlife diseases and facilitating a timely response to potential health emergencies affecting both animals and humans.

(Op-ed) Leave No “Foodprint”: Technological Innovations to Prevent and Reduce Food Losses and Waste

By Daniela Godoy, Senior Policy Officer in Food Security and Nutrition at FAO’s Regional Office for Latina America and the Caribbean

The United Nations General Assembly established September 29 as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste to promote policies that reduce poverty and hunger and help combat climate change.

This is a debate that we cannot ignore. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that in Latin America and the Caribbean, 11.6% of food production is lost between the post-harvest stage and retail, not including the latter. According to figures from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 19% of the total food supply is wasted, including waste in households, food services, and retailers worldwide.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, food losses and waste (FLW) generate a carbon footprint of 300 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), representing about 540 kg of CO2 per person per year, exceeding the world average of 500 kg.

FLW is a global problem with far-reaching economic, social, and environmental consequences, and its prevention and reduction require comprehensive policies and actions promoted by the different sectors and actors in agrifood systems.

Given this, technological innovations appear to be a new solution to reducing the impact of food losses and waste on climate change on our planet.

To prevent and mitigate the impacts of FLWs, it is essential to promote technologies for the efficient use of natural resources and energy that reduce environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions during production processes, prolonging the shelf life of food, maintaining its safety during post-harvest, storage or processing.

Thus, innovative initiatives such as biotechnological methods to transform expired food into raw material for the animal feeding industry, the implementation of smart packaging, or blockchain systems to avoid food waste for reasons that have nothing to do with its safety can make a difference in this matter.

These technologies can also support the move towards circular models to make more efficient use of resources and reuse food loss and waste streams, achieving, for example, the recovery and redistribution of food such as minimally processed fruits, vegetables, cereals, and tubers for social projects or food banks. Likewise, these innovations could make it possible to manage waste in school feeding programs and food services or to plan product marketing and/or rotation at sale points for final consumption.

The prevention of FLW continues to pose regional challenges, such as access to financing for technological innovations, more efficient practices in family farming or small-scale production, and the generation of data to determine how much food is lost or wasted, where in the supply chain it is concentrated, and what the causes are.

Reducing and preventing food losses and waste is essential for transforming agrifood systems into systems that are more efficient, resilient, inclusive, and sustainable. This will reduce the climate footprint during production and consumption and contribute to food security and nutrition. Promoting new technologies is a mandate to achieve this.

Kamala Harris’ Campaign Office Targetted by Shooters

Just days before her visit to Arizona, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign office in Arizona was targeted in a shooting incident on Monday, September 23, 2024. The incident occurred shortly after midnight on Monday, with police confirming multiple shots fired at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) campaign office near Southern Avenue and Priest Drive. Just over two weeks ago, former president Donald Trump faced two assassination attempts.

No injuries were reported. “No one was inside the office during the overnight hours, but this raises concerns about the safety of those who work in that building, as well as those nearby,” Public Information Officer Sgt. Ryan Cook said in a statement.

This shooting marks the second incident of criminal damage at the office in recent weeks. Police said that on September 16, the office’s windows were also damaged, possibly by a BB or pellet gun. The investigation is ongoing.

Helene Becomes Category 1 Hurricane

Hurricane Helene has rapidly intensified to a Category 1 hurricane this morning as it makes its way toward the Gulf Coast of Florida. It is projected to strengthen further, potentially reaching Category 3 status when it hits Florida’s Big Bend on Thursday.

As of this morning, Helene was located over the northwestern Caribbean Sea near Cozumel, Mexico. It had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, according to the National Hurricane Centre.

Hurricane warnings are in effect between the Anaclote River and Mexico Beach, while storm surge warnings have been issued for areas including Tampa Bay. Hurricane watches are also in effect for Cuba and parts of Florida, alongside tropical storm warnings for parts of Florida, Cuba, and Mexico.