Fuel Price Inflation Has Rippling Effect on All Sectors

Chanona explained just how much of a ripple effect the inflation of fuel prices can have on marine resources, particularly. Cutbacks or busted fuel budgets will mean there will no longer be the type of monitoring and patrols that is necessary to man the seas.

Janelle Chanona

Janelle Chanona, Senator-elect, NGO’s

“From the NGO sector, we have pointed out and we will be following up with written material, to the Prime Minister and his team Friday ahead of their Cabinet meeting next week to highlight, you know, self-evident truths but just to underscore it. When you look at marine protected area management and the investment of fuel there, I think we’re looking at more than thirty-two thousand gallons of fuel, but then immediately you also have to look at the fact that the bulk of their budgets are tied to fixed grants. So if we’re not getting access to increase grant funding to mitigate the impact of the rising fuel, then you see immediately where that has an impact. And I think the last thing anybody would want to see is an inability from protected area management, from enforcement agencies of not being able to help sustainably manage the resources that we’re talking about because we’re talking about hundreds of thousands of acres of marine and terrestrial protected areas that are involved. So looking at the importance of that, not just for the resources and the people who depend on them, but also because as we’ve seen recently, those resources are also playing a role in our external debt and looking at our financial picture overall, and if we lose the ability to properly manage those and enforce those and safeguard those then that will have ripple effects elsewhere.”

Chanona also highlighted the impact the crippled operational function will have on the fisheries sector. She said that without the full presence of field operation teams, many of our fishing grounds are open to illegal and unregulated fishing from fishers from our neighboring countries, and that will result in further loss in much-needed revenue for Belize. The recommendations from the social partners will be presented to the Prime Minister on Friday.