Bakers to Received $1.5 Million Subsidy on Bread, Finally

On Wednesday, the Government of Belize sought approval from the House of Representatives to spend one and a half million dollars on bakers across the country as a form of assistance in order to keep the cost of bread as low as possible. This subsidy was to have come into effect since June, but as Prime Minister Briceño told reporters outside the House, bakers kept moving the goal post as their production costs increased.

Prime Minister John Briceño

File: August 24, 2022 Prime Minister John Briceño

“It has not started yet, simply because they are constantly changing the goal post. When we already think we have a settlement, then for instance wheat went up again. We have spoken to Minister Mai that Supply Control has to meet with the flour mill, because the flour mill says you have supply control on a hundred pound bag, but we do forty five kilograms. So, that is not price control. They are playing games with what the price control is on the pound of flour. So, because those things are constantly changing, we constantly have to be meeting with them on negotiations. But, what we want to do is, we are committed on keeping the bread as low as possible because that is something that people, everybody uses every day. Also now, we have to start do more journey cakes and flour tortilla at home, because then that end up to being a little bit cheaper than buying bread.”