Massive layoffs at Fruta Bomba in Corozal

Last Friday, we reported on the laying off of fifty-seven workers at the Golden Princess Casino in Corozal.  Employees of the gambling den were let go in the wake of a decline in business near the Belize/Mexico Border. Today, there are more persons without jobs up north to add to the unemployment lines. News Five confirmed that another industry in the north has had to considerably downsize its staff.  Fruta Bomba Limited, a papaya producing company near San Joaquin in Corozal, in the past few days staggered the dismissal of a total of ninety-five employees from its plant, citing a decline in production due to severe rains in the latter part of last year.  According to General Manager, Gilberto Vivas, production was down fifty percent at the end of 2013.

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Via Phone: Gilberto Vivas, General Manager, Fruta Bomba Ltd.

“We laid off forty-four workers from Fruta Bomba and fifty-one at the Belize Food Packers.  The reason is obvious, we have been losing production because of the bad weather we had in last year, 2013 which was an unusual year.  I think that affected all the agricultural sectors in the whole country and even the reason.  So in order for us to survive well we had to do this.  Everything was done according to the labor laws, there was no exception for any of the workers.  They were laid off with everything that they deserved.”

Isani Cayetano

Gilberto Vivas

“Where does the company stand at this point, I know you’ve mentioned that you guys have had to take cost-cutting measures to sort of mitigate what has happened in the industry.  Where does Fruta Bomba stand now?”

Via Phone: Gilberto Vivas

“Well the effect of the bad weather we will overcome that.  We will continue planting over in the Orange Walk District and we know for sure that it we don’t have any problems with Mother Nature by 2015 we will be back.  But we will not discouraged, we’ll just continue planting.  We will rehire people according to the needs, as the volumes increase in the future.”

Isani Cayetano
“That’s a total of ninety-five workers who have been sent home.  What’s the size of the workforce at Fruta Bomba?”

Via Phone: Gilberto Vivas

“Presently Fruta Bomba has three hundred and ninety-six workers and Belize Food Packers has a hundred and twenty-two.”

Isani Cayetano

“This is after the restructuring?”

Via Phone: Gilberto Vivas

“Yes, after restructuring.”

While Fruta Bomba has not yet been able to quantify its losses in dollars and cents, the company says that it is close to a million dollars in damages to papaya crops.