A Task Force to Revive Belize’s Shrimp Industry

Early Mortality Syndrome, or EMS, is one of the main reasons why the local shrimp industry shrank by eighty percent over the last decade. But, a newly established task force is looking to see how best it can revive the industry to its former glory. In 2014, Belize was producing close to a hundred million dollars in shrimp annually. Jose Mai, the Minister of Agriculture, has appointed the Shrimp Industry Task Force to address the limitations of the industry and chart a way forward. Over the next three months, Hugh O’Brien, the Chairman of the Shrimp Industry Task Force, will be leading a diverse team consisting of eight members from both the public and private sectors. O’Brien says that emphasis will be placed on the implementation of modern technologies that aid in increasing shrimp production throughout local farms. Here is what he told us today.

Hugh O’Brien

Hugh O’Brien, Chairman, Shrimp Industry Task Force

“The Shrimp Industry Task Force was put together by the Minister of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise, honorable Jose Mai, because the industry is at a very critical point in its history. Back in 2014 the industry reached a high production level, reached almost sixteen million pounds of shrimp. Belize was a major exporter of shrimp. We exported close to a hundred million worth of shrimp, about ninety-four or ninety-five million in shrimp exports and then we were hit with the early mortality syndrome and the industry crumbled to the point where for the last couple of years production has hovered between one and two million pounds, barely enough to supply the local market. So, the task force was put together with a view to assess where things are with the industry, find out what are some of the real challenges and constraints that the industry is facing, and in light of the fact that there is new technology that has been proven to work in Belize that can allow us to ramp up that production, to look at that technology and see if it can be applied to other farms and in a sense set a path for the industry to get back on firm footing to grow and to expand once again.”