After soggy harvest, new taxes ‘an injustice’

The announcement comes at a dicey time for the industry, which is coming off weather-related damage to crops caused by rains across Belize. When we visited San Carlos village in Orange Walk in the beginning of February, farmers were preparing to harvest potatoes, corn, beans and other crops. But they have since sustained extensive damages and creditors from the banks and credit unions are already coming to call for loan repayments.

Jose Abelardo Mai, Area Rep., Orange Walk South

Jose Abelardo Mai

“You were in the fields when the crop was about to be harvested, and it was just about then we had all the heavy rains. So I think the farmers in the San Carlos area lost a great percentage of the onions. It is a terrible loss; I really feel for those farmers. They were telling us how much they owed the credit unions and on that particular day the credit unions were on the farm, looking at the farm and wanting to collect on their money. You can’t blame them; they are a business institution too. But I feel for the farmers. And to now come and tell the farmers I will charge you twelve and a half percent G.S.T. on preparing land, for planting food for the Belizean people? it is unacceptable, it is unfair; it is an injustice to the farmers and to the Belizean people. It is unfair.”