Price of rice set to go up

If you watch world news it will come as no surprise, but Belizean consumers should get ready for a rise in the price of rice. Reports to News Five indicate that negotiations now nearing completion between government and producers will push the retail price at least as high as a dollar-fifteen per pound and perhaps as high as one-twenty. Farmers cite the high costs of diesel fuel, fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides as the main reasons for the increase. A majority of Belize’s rice is grown on large mechanized farms around Blue Creek in the Orange Walk District with a significant minority produced on smaller plots in the Toledo District and milled at Big Falls Village. Sources in the rice industry claim that even after the anticipated price hikes, Belizean rice will still be cheaper than that sold in either Mexico or Guatemala.