Will the New Market Affect Prices in Belize?

Negotiations are also ongoing with Mexico and Guatemala to ensure that markets for Belizean products are guaranteed through diplomacy and bilateral agreements. But while the opening of another export market for Belizean products is a major step forward for farmers and the Belizean economy, Agriculture Minister Jose Abelardo Mai was asked whether farmers will be able to meet the demands domestically and if it will affect prices for consumers in Belize.

Jose Abelardo Mai

Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture, Food Security & Enterprise

“We do not expect that there will be any major changes in prices at this time. We are still in very infant stage as yet, but we have to work towards it and we will try to avoid that as much as possible that it will be affecting our local prices. We cannot afford for consumers to be paying high prices for commodities anymore. I think we have to try to curb that. We initially were only able to produce carrots for three months of the year. Today, the latest report we just saw a while ago because I was in Orange Walk for another meeting, we are producing carrots now ten months of the year, potato we are at six months of the year; we did ten months of the year for lettuce, which we are having some problems with the quality and we have to make some adjustments there. So we have enough products for ourselves. As a matter of fact, today, the farmers are saying I have enough carrots and I have enough onions and I can’t sell it because the people don’t seem to want it right now. We are working with that. We have to find a way because the contraband on the market is just terrible. It’s just terrible so we have to find a way to adjust that. That meeting I had earlier today was to address that.”