Belize and Guatemala meet to encourage trade

It may not be a presidential summit, but officials of Belize and Guatemala are meeting to find practical ways in which the two neighbours can help each other prosper. Coming together for the second day of talks at the Belmopan Convention Hotel are agricultural officers from the two governments. They are trying to co-ordinate and standardise the regulations for the import and export of plants and animals in order to facilitate business on both sides of the border. In addition to public sector representatives, business people from both countries are also meeting, and according to a press office release, are exploring ways to jointly access CARICOM and Central American markets. For Belize, the best prospects for exporting to Guatemala lie in corn, animal feed and red kidney beans.