The sugar crop season in the northern districts is close to wrapping up and there has been a distinct lack of news from the area, which for this important industry can be considered good news. In fact, reports are that the targets set for the year in terms of tons of cane brought in and […]
The prestigious Aquaculture Stewardship Council suspended certification of four Belizean shrimp farms in April. But the local Shrimp Farm Association claims that the farms – Paradise Shrimp Farm, Tex Mar Farm, Bel-Euro Aquaculture and Tropical Aquaculture Investment Farm, actually chose to opt out of the audit for the time being and that it does not […]
A few months ago, farmers in the Cayo and Orange Walk Districts had thousands of pounds of potatoes rotting in the fields. It was produce they were unable to sell because of competing imported Mexican and contraband potatoes. The Ministry of Agriculture stopped importation permits, but farmers still faced a glut of potatoes on the […]
Was Minister Hulse aware that prices for local bananas have gone up? Bananas are said to be sold at six for a dollar as opposed to eight. The answer is slightly complicated, but here is a basic primer: bananas are, on average, Belize’s third largest export after sugar and citrus in that order, and one […]
The Ministry of Agriculture has adopted the mantra of “Let’s Get Growing.” They are trying to revive a flagging export economy that has long been concentrated on raw material like sugar, citrus and bananas, and to a lesser extent, marine products and even petroleum. Belize has been exploring various options for markets for its products, […]
The Belize Federation of Fishers and the Department of Fisheries are training fishermen for deep-sea fishing. The training is a part of a project being implemented over the last year that seeks to show the fishers the gears needed, as well as the practical skills to fish in deep waters. News Five’s Andrea Polanco was […]
A few weeks ago, Quality Poultry Products of the Cayo District became the first company to certify to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points standard, securing a potential place in the regional market and boosting their brand’s reputation for safe, nutritious and tasty poultry. Today, northern competitors Caribbean Chicken did the same, completing an eleven-year […]
Thousands headed to the village of Crooked Tree for the annual cashew festival. The two-day event over the weekend featured all things cashew—from wines to cakes to the sweet roasted nuts. Over the years, the festival has grown considerably becoming an important event in the promotion of local produce. The festival this year caught the […]
A recent report by IntraFish reported that the prestigious Aquaculture Stewardship Council, A.S.C., has suspended certification of four Belizean shrimp farms in April. The farms named are Paradise Shrimp Farm, Tex Mar Farm, Bel-Euro Aquaculture and Tropical Aquaculture Investment Farm. But a release by the Belize Shrimp Farm Association has clarified the Intrafish report. It […]
The Government has been boasting of a rebound in the shrimp industry in the wake of problems in production a few months ago. However, industry insiders report that the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, A.S.C., has suspended certification for four Belizean shrimp farms as of a month ago, on April fourth. The farms have been identified as […]
The National Agricultural and Trade Show, better known as Agric, got off over the weekend. The annual event provides a space for the productive sector to meet with its customers and potential buyers of the various items that were on display. News Five’s Duane Moody reports from Belmopan. Duane Moody, Reporting The sweltering heat […]
Thousands of Belizeans will be heading to the Capital City on Saturday and Sunday for the annual National Agriculture and Trade Show. Since it started back in 1970, “Agric” has grown from year to year. While for many years the focus was on the agriculture industry, in the last decade or two it has expanded […]
With a drop in the price of sugar in the global market as well as a shift to beet sugar, the local sugar industry is at a crossroads. To remain competitive, the five thousand plus farmers have to look at how to cut production and harvesting costs to remain competitive. At American Sugar Refinery/Belize Sugar […]
In October of this year, the EU regime changes allowing for European beet sugar to compete directly with sugar cane. For the past ten years the E.U. has been working with the local industry in the north to prepare and adjust to the upcoming change. In an interview with the media today, E.U. Political Counselor […]
The Belize Agricultural Health Authority and Ministry of Health have lifted the temporary ban on the importation of corned beef from Brazil. BAHA says it has confirmed that the popular food item imported into the country is not contaminated. A report in March attributed to Brazilian authorities said that corned beef from several meat processing […]
Back to today’s budget debate….Orange Walk South area representative Jose Mai focused on the impact of the Budget – or lack thereof – on the productive sector, which he described as devastating. He excoriated the Government for neglecting the plight of farmers, focusing on the recent issue of potatoes. Mai said he found it unbelievable […]
Farmers in the Cayo and Orange Walk Districts have thousands of pounds of potatoes rotting in the fields – produce they have been unable to sell because of competing imported Mexican and contraband potatoes. On Monday, farmers in La Gracia in the Cayo District said they can’t get buyers – and then there are the […]
Coconut may be big business soon for Belize – the emerging industry is supported by the Caribbean Coconut Industry Development Project which aims to improve income and employment opportunities, food security and overall competitiveness of the Caribbean Coconut sector. At least two companies are exporting coconuts and creating opportunities for local farmers. The Minister of […]
Thousands of potatoes are rotting in La Gracia Village in the Cayo District and farmers say they are set to lose thousands of dollars for this year’s potato crop. Some farmers have been experiencing losses for almost two weeks now – they have either been dumping or storing potatoes because they don’t have any buyers. […]
So, what is the Ministry doing about the potato crisis? Well, we caught up with Minister of Agriculture Godwin Hulse today and he told us that the ministry met with potato producers from seven zones, as well as with as many as nineteen of the twenty-five importers. Minister Hulse says that a potato working committee […]
Our news crew is just back from the fields in the west covering the very important story of the plight of local farmers whose livelihoods are being threatened by the importation and contraband of potatoes from Mexico. The crisis in the agriculture industry, according to the farmers is because licenses are being issued to highly […]
The Ministry of Agriculture has yet to publicly comment on the issue of rotting potatoes that farmers across the country have been unable to get sold due to competition from Mexican potatoes imported by Belizeans on a weekly basis. But there is an agricultural and diplomatic triumph to report tonight in agriculture: the first shipment […]
The Ministry of Agriculture has stopped granting licenses for the importation of white potatoes. It says this is in benefit of local farmers whose production season of strictly red potatoes is now starting. The Ministry, with the help of the Belize Agricultural Health Authority and Customs, will begin a crackdown on the illegal importation of […]
Fifteen years ago, the Museum of Belize was established from the remains of Her Majesty’s Prison, one of Belize’s longest standing colonial buildings. As former president of the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH), Yasser Musa, related in a note for the official program; “It was a circus of the mind to think that […]
A five million dollar investment from Taiwan in the local aquaculture industry is coming to a successful end. In 2012, Taiwan invested and established a tilapia hatchery in the Cayo District which has generated a hundred and fifty tons of fresh tilapia. The project has assisted more than a hundred tilapia producers and created jobs […]
