G.O.B. Signs Matching Grand Fund Agreements with Farmers Associations

The Concepcion Vegetable Farmers’ Cooperative Society Limited, the Northern Sustainable Agro-producers Cooperative Society Limited, as well as the Seven Miles Farmers’ Association have entered into Matching Grant Fund Agreements with the Ministry of Economic Development through the Resilient Rural Belize initiative.  The purpose of the Matching Grant Fund Agreement is to provide resources and technical assistance to improve, in volume and quality, the agricultural productions of the three producer organizations.  It will also assist with organizational capacities and marketing/value added strategies, while also safeguarding food security in the context of existing and projected climate change effects.

Osmond Martinez

Dr. Osmond Martinez, C.E.O., Ministry of Economic Development

“I want to emphasize here the importance and the role that the RRB and its team will have to play in order to move to implementation and to get the job done which is the most important part for the POC.  I see some members of the POC, Mr. Arzu, Dr. Gladden, C.E.O. Shal here.  Our emphasis is always, “When will the job be done?”  And I must congratulate the RRB team because you have done a lot in a year’s time, thinking about January to December.  I want to share with you that last week, I attended the Board of Directors of CDB and I want to congratulate RRB because we did submit an additional loan to CDB and it was approved.  It was a loan of ten million Belize dollars that will compliment the project, the forty million that it has.  And right away, when it was approved, I sent a message to Dr. Flowers and I said, “Job well done.  You and your staff and your officers have done well.”  There was not a question from the board of directors.  On the contrary, there were a lot of positive comments and they are looking at the donor’s coordination part.  They are looking at the possibilities of replicating an RRB program in the Caribbean.”