Guatemala re-opens borders to Belize’s citrus

Belize will once again export citrus to Guatemala. According to the Ministry of Agriculture Belize had always met certain export standards, but when restrictions were heightened earlier this year to prevent the spread of the Brown Citrus Aphid, Belize’s citrus harvest became prohibited. Guatemala had established an emergency quarantine, but at a meeting in Guatemala last week agriculture officials from both Belize and Honduras proved, however, that there was no technical basis for the restriction. The re-opening of borders was finally announced at a Central American Ministers of Agriculture Conference held in Belize on Friday. Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Cooperatives Daniel Silva lead a technical team from the Department of Agriculture in the discussions.