Mealy Bug in Belmopan, San Pedro

While the big news emanating from the Cabinet this week was the reassignment of certain ministerial portfolios and Godfrey Smith’s appointment as Attorney General, the spread of the Pink Hibiscus Mealy Bug was also on the agenda. Apparently the pest is no longer confined to Belize City but has been detected in Belmopan and San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. All three areas have been placed under quarantine by the Ministry of Agriculture. A conservative estimate presented to Cabinet indicates that Belize could suffer losses of up to one hundred and fifty million dollars in the agricultural sector. The Ministry is still awaiting the arrival of beetles which will be released in an effort to control the Pink Hibiscus Mealy Bug. The bug’s presence was detected in late September. Also under the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, a visit to Cuba by Minister Dan Silva will result in Cuba sending experts to evaluate Belize’s lobster resources and fishing potential. Cuba has also offered twelve scholarships for Belizean fishermen to study aquaculture. In the Ministry of Tourism, a Border Management Agency will be established to manage and improve facilities at the Northern and Western Borders. And finally Cabinet has decided that two minutes of silence will be observed on Sunday November fourteenth, Remembrance Day. The move is in support of the Ex-Servicemen’s League and is to commemorate the end of World War I and the soldiers killed in World War II. Secondary and tertiary level students will be asked to participate in a wreath laying ceremony organized by the B.D.F. to pay tribute to Belize’s contribution to those wars and our membership in the Commonwealth.