IDB funding to help improve agricultural standards, update port

The Prime Minister Said Musa signed the necessary papers to get a three point six million-dollar loan to improve the competitiveness of Belize’s agricultural products abroad. Prime Minister Musa met with officials of the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington DC. Under the conditions of the loan, services provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Cooperatives will be consolidated into the Belize Agricultural Health Authority. The IDB says there will be significant private sector participation in the agency’s management. Private sector involvement could also increase at the Belize Port Authority. Belize has received a grant of over one million dollars from the IDB to help modernize the Port. According to Chairman Kay Menzies, not only is the Port in Belize behind the times in terms of antiquated equipment, but the fee structure needs to be reviewed to increase competitiveness. Menzies says there will also be recommendations about how to enhance employee performance, and privatize certain operations for better efficiency. From Washington the Prime Minister moves on to New York for meetings at the United Nations. He is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Thursday.