C.G.A. Responds to Reports on Citrus Industry

The Citrus Growers Association has issued a press release, following recent reports of the dire state of the citrus industry.  Last week, Stann Creek West Area Representative Rodwell Ferguson, as well as Minister of Agriculture Jose Abelardo Mai, commented on significant losses in revenue and employment in the citrus belt.  Both government ministers also spoke on the need for diversification to include alternative crops such as coconut, pineapple and bamboo.  The C.G.A., in the wake of those reports, gives its perspective on what is taking place in the industry, as well as its projections going forward.  On Friday, Dangriga Area Representative, Doctor Louis Zabaneh commented on the state of the industry on adjournment during the sitting of the House of Representatives.

Louis Zabaneh

Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Area Representative, Dangriga

“The citrus industry is partly in the Dangriga constituency, as you all would know.  The CGA headquarters is in Hope Creek and so this is very important to the people of my constituency.  We want to make some clarifications of what we have heard recently in the news about a very gloomy assessment of the citrus industry and that other industries may be necessary to replace it.  We certainly are very pleased to hear about other suggestions such as bamboo, etc. and we believe that definitely those would be welcomed to further diversify our economy.  Recent declines we‘ve seen indeed in the industry, have been caused by the citrus greening disease, this was before COVID, and then recently with COVID, we‘ve had problems with labor supply, further exacerbating the situation.  And then, with the high cost of inputs created by the Ukraine war, we‘ve had another challenge to the farmers in the industry.  Over the years, between 2005 thereabout and presently, we‘ve seen the acreage fall from about sixty thousand to about twenty thousand today.  In 2005-2008, citrus and sugar, just for comparative purposes, had about sixty thousand acres.  Citrus had actually been contributing a hundred million dollars in foreign exchange and anybody can go back and see the records on that.”