Local onion production to increase

If all goes according to plan the next time you eat escabeche those onions will have been grown in Belize. The Ministry of Agriculture has announced local onion production will be expanding drastically this year, up from 8.5 acres to a prospective one hundred and forty. The up and coming industry is centered in the Corozal District with ninety acres to be planted there while Cayo and Orange Walk will account for the remainder. Last year’s experimental crop yielded one hundred and two thousand pounds of onions worth sixty-two thousand dollars. This year’s production will be staggered to avoid a glut on the market and the marketing board is looking at ways to properly store surplus production. Belize traditionally imports over three million pounds of onions, primarily from Mexico and the United States.