P.U.P. unveils agriculture and tourism policies
While the two party leaders have agreed to debate once the election has been called, right now they are busy travelling to every corner of the country campaigning on behalf of their divisional candidates. This weekend Said Musa and the P.U.P. took their message to the people of San Ignacio. Patrick Jones reports.
When the People’s Assembly and caravan rolled into the Novelo’s Convention Centre on Friday evening, thousands of supporters were on hand to greet P.U.P. Leader Said Musa and the rest of team twenty-nine. The seventh session of the People’s Assembly had as its main focus, the integration of agriculture and tourism in the overall strategy to boost the economy.
Said Musa, Leader, P.U.P.
“Our message is a clear and simple one: the next P.U.P. Government will restore agriculture to its rightful place in our economy as an important springboard for economic prosperity and social justice.”
To achieve this goal, Musa committed his party to working vigorously to level the playing field for our farmers while at the same time targeting the tourist market of southern Mexico for local beef, rice, tropical fruits and even sugar. While the road from here to there is paved with good intentions, Musa says the next P.U.P. government will go one step further to lend a helping hand to the men and women of the soil.
Said Musa
“We will abolish import duties on fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, etc. and ensure that our farmers have competitive access to a more developed domestic market, in order to keep our dollars at home and promote food security. The P.U.P. will provide greater attention to the particular problems which the farmers confront in their day to day living: security of land tenure, adequate physical infrastructure such as all weather feeder roads, on-farm supply of water for domestic and farm use and assistance for the surveying of lands for small farmers in the remote villages.”
The P.U.P. plan also includes the re-establishment of a Small Farmers Bank, which will offer greater access to credit at low interest rates and the appropriate technology to ensure sustainability. As for the other pillar of economic growth, Musa says the next P.U.P government will effect sweeping changes in the Tourism Industry that will in the long run, take a bite out of poverty and unemployment.
Said Musa
“Solving the seasonality problem, boosting occupancy rates, reducing airline fares and easing the tax burden are prerequisites for a dynamic tourism industry. We will promote Belize as a retirement haven and as a sports, health and cruise ship destination. Unlike this administration we will work with the private sector to develop high potential tourism areas throughout Belize, including north Ambergris Caye. We believe though that each new market brings a new set of responsibilities and a P.U.P. Government would have consulted the industry fully before prematurely committing Belize to a twenty four million dollars terminal at the fort area in Belize City, that even tourist board officials knew nothing about.”
There was no shortage of participation from the crowd at Friday’s meeting and a similar situation is expected at the Assembly’s two remaining venues of Corozal and Belize City. Patrick Jones, for News Five.
Musa told his audience that if elected his approach to tourism will be to integrate it more with the rest of the economy. He also pledged to restructure the Belize Tourist Board to achieve greater accountability and increase the participation of the private sector.
