Citrus Industry Hanging by a Thin Tread, Welcome Bamboo Industry

Rodwell Ferguson

The once thriving citrus industry in Belize has been declining over the years and is now hanging by a thin thread.  There has been a significant loss of jobs and some farmers are diversifying their investment to other crops. Last week, Prime Minister John Briceño met with stakeholders who are proposing a bamboo industry in the south. Today, Stann Creek West Area Representative Rodwell Ferguson threw his support behind a proposed bamboo industry in southern Belize. Minister Ferguson says that the citrus industry is almost deceased.

Rodwell Ferguson, Area Representative, Stann Creek West

“I born and grow in Pomona valley. When I was a child it was like a town because it was in the heart of the citrus industry. Over the last fifteen years, you start to see a decline of the citrus industry; that caused people to move away from the region and then go to look where employment is. So right now most people are moving to Silk Grass where the company has moved and people are looking for opportunities. If anything new comes, then we will accept it cause there is a complete decline of the citrus industry. I can remember when I was working with the company, it peaked eight million boxes one year; this year, it will be less than one million boxes of production which is totally dismal.”

Reporter

“Do you think there will ever come a time when we will lose the citrus industry; it will no longer exist?”

Rodwell Ferguson

“Well it’s about almost to deceased because if you come through the valley right now, everybody has pushed down their citrus to plan coconut or to plant pineapple or something like that. They are coming off oranges completely.”