Valley of Peace Gets Refurbished Access Road
The official opening of the newly rehabilitated access road to Valley of Peace community took place today. Funding for the four-point-five-mile gravel road project was provided by the Green Climate Fund and was done as part of the Resilient Rural Belize Project in the Ministry of Economic Development. The road serves a profoundly important purpose to the farmers of the community who grow a significant percentage of the perishable goods that Belize consumes. News Five’s Marion Ali was present for the symbolic cutting of the ribbon. Here’s that report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
The symbolic and traditional gesture of cutting the ribbon to mark an accomplishment today was for the opening of one of the agriculture industry’s most important piece of roads. Although it measures only four point seven miles, the Valley of Peace access road is used to transport a significant amount of the freshly-harvested perishables that Belizean farmers produce.
Jose Abelardo Mai
Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture
“Can you imagine transporting papayas which are perishables on a rough road full of holes? You got a lot of rejects, you have a lot of shrinkage, you have a lot of wastage. So this road with that in view, the R.R.B, which is funding IFAD, decided that this is the way to go – support farmers, right, to improve the livelihood of the people that live in rural communities.”
The road was constructed with some parts rehabilitated under the Resilient Rural Belize project and designed by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development. MIDH Assistant Zone Engineer for the Cayo District, Santiago Juan delved into the technical aspect of the road construction and rehabilitation.
Santiago Juan, Assistant Zone Engineer, Cayo, MIDH
“It was built to standards to which very few roads, at least farmer roads or feeder roads have been built, with a design. Normally we go in with our equipment and we build a road, and then whenever – months later or years later, the road is upgraded. In this case, this road was designed to meet all international standards and built according to the design.”
But today’s opening almost didn’t happen, according to the C.E.O in the Ministry of Economic Development, Dr. Osmond Martinez because Belize was on the verge of losing the funding opportunity from the funding agency.
Osmond Martinez
Dr. Osmond Martinez, C.E.O, Ministry of Economic Development
“The Resilient Rural Beliefs Project was established back in 2016. And so the lifetime of the implementation of the project should have been five years. So, meaning that by 2021, the project should have been completed. It was a $40 million project, and so in 2020, at the end of 2020, beginning of 2021, we received a letter from IFAD saying – IFAD is the implementing agent, noh – for the Resilient Rural Belize Program, and the letter stated that the implementation rate was less than 1% – salary – the projects, practically, just paid for salaries, vehicles, operational costs, but zero implementation. So, they were recalling the funds, saying, okay, you know, this is a project that is on a problematic stage. Therefore, we have to recall it. There are millions and millions of dollars that we, that the country of Belize or the beneficiaries did not enjoy because of poor implementation, and these are the things that we are working on.”
The Briceño administration requested that consideration be given and got the chance to make use of the funds. Now that the road is constructed and has reached to this point, Minister Mai expressed his hope that it will be paved before it deteriorates.
Jose Abelardo Mai
“I hope, CEO and Santiago, that we don’t only leave it there. It needs to be paved. We have had that experience in Guinea Bissau some years ago, where under the previous government that upgraded the road up to paving standards and left it right there, and one year and a half that road went back to where it was. [That was] money gone down the drain. We cannot continue to think like that. If we have it up to paving standards, let’s find additional money, let’s pave it. I say this for the Valley of Peace farmers, and I also say this for the San Carlos Road and Orange Walk because we will reach to that point in San Carlos very soon, and I do want to see, at least when we leave office, we have something to say, you know, under my term, we did that, and my grandchildren will enjoy it, and my great grandchildren will enjoy it.”
In order for farmers to enjoy a paved access road, however, it will require another application to the funding agency, as C.E.O Martinez explained.
Dr. Osmond Martinez
“That is the plan, that we want to pave it. And not only this one, but all the other roads, you know, as Minister Mike clearly stated on his opening remarks, that we’re practically taking this road to paving standards. And then, Belize is a country, when it rains, it rains a lot. And we won’t want three years from now or four years from now these roads are disappearing, no? And so, as is, we do have, um, also a proposal going to GCF, whereby we have asked GCF for additional funding to upgrade the roads to international standard.”
Marion Ali for News Five.
