Report shows excess of rice on the market
In the last few months we told you about the surplus of onions, but rice has also been produced in excess. In April of this year the Belize Marketing Development Corporation (BMDC) announced that they would be purchasing approximately two million pounds less than they did in 2010 because of an existing surplus. It’s a major loss to the Toledo rice farmers, who harvested six point seven million pounds of rice paddy, but the BMDC was only prepared to purchase five million pounds. What’s worse is that the BMDC has had difficulty paying for the rice that has bought. Fifty percent was paid upon delivery last December, leaving a balance of one hundred thirty-six thousand, seven hundred and fifty dollars. On Monday, a partial payment of eighty two thousand seven hundred forty three dollars was handed over to rice farmers in Toledo and bill is expected to be fully settled by mid-August. The average local consumption of rice is eighteen million pounds annually, but even with the surplus Belize hasn’t tapped into the export market. Roque Mai, Managing Director of the BMDC declined a comment to News Five.
How can we have a rice surplus ? How many million pounds do we have in storage to feed Belize for two years just in case of catastrophies, man-made or natural? And the same question for Beans, corn, sugar,flour,etc., etc. Do you get the gist on how to run a country efficiently? Have we provided for our export markets?
MARKETING, MARKETING, MARKETING. The farmers grow the crops (obviously with a surplus they are doing a good job), now someone needs to use creative marketing techniques to SELL. Someone, somewhere, needs rice.
Roque Mai needs to realize that he is in a position where he needs to be accountable and answer questions when there are questions that needs to be answered, if he is not up to it maybe he should seek employment elsewhere a public servant is there to serve the public needs. Remember, My Legacy B4 My People.
This is a load of crap. The BMDC and shows we have extra rice. what a joke. the Toledo suppliers are shipping less than 1500 bags of rice a month. At this rate they have enough rice for many years without growing more. The BMDC is the sole and exclusive marketing agency for their rice. However, BMDC is selling MUCH MORE rice than this but are not procuring it from any of the mills in Belize. The Min of AG and BMDC (essentially the same) show 45 million lbs in stock grown on 35000 acres. This too is BS but you can not tell them cuz they DO NOT WANT t hear it. It does not fit into their agenda. Best solution?-dissolution of BMDC and laws that will not allow family of Minister to be the marketing arm for essential food supply of this country. BMDC is a Statutory Body and as such SHOULD NOT be making a profit and competing AGAINST other farmers to do so. Same goes for them selling sugar. This is my point of view as I am a small producer in Central Belize and all this talk of surplus is just there in an attempt to bring down the price.
Agreed. This whole “rice surplus” thing and BMDC dropping their price because of it is all just a cover up for all the rice they smuggled in and made a fortune off of. Not a chance that the amount of rice they sell all comes from Toledo.
mhhh the poor farmers :/ why is the money not enough to buy from them BMDC ?