The situation in the citrus belt remains tenuous. Citrus growers are nowhere near getting paid for their produce because the Citrus Products of Belize Limited has been unable to draw down on millions of dollars it needs to meet payments. CPBL says some directors of the Citrus Growers Association (CGA) have not signed off on […]
It appears that there is a temporary solution to the ongoing financial crisis at Citrus Products Belize Limited. On Wednesday’s newscast we reported that the management of CPBL was unable to meet its full fruit payout which was due today. Of the seventy-six farmers who turn in fruit to the company, C.E.O. Dr. Henry Canton […]
It has been a little under three weeks since the start of a new crop season and tensions within the fickle citrus industry were simmering on Tuesday but tonight it appears there might be a resolution in sight to the latest problem. It started Tuesday when the management of Citrus Products Belize Ltd. notified growers […]
The Citrus Industry is constantly in chaos as the owners of Citrus Products of Belize Limited being Banks Holdings of Barbados and the Citrus Growers Association Investment Company Limited can’t agree on the management of the company. Last week, the CGA pointed out that thousands of dollars would be lost since the factory, under the […]
On Wednesday in the Pomona Valley, citrus growers were irate that oranges were not being accepted by the CPBL. Later in the day, that decision was reversed and the factory opened up for early orange deliveries. The contention between the Citrus Growers Association and the Citrus Products of Belize Limited has been relentless. The CGA’s […]
The Citrus factory in Pomona revved up today for the new crop season. Oranges and grapefruits are fetching good prices on the export market, but the trouble is that the processor, Citrus Products of Belize Limited, is not yet ready to receive the oranges that are beginning to rot in the orchards. Growers say they […]
Down south, there are new problems for citrus farmers. They are yet to recover from the devastation of the last hurricane that swept through the area in October 2010, which has resulted in an early crop. The situation has the Citrus Growers Association racing around the clock, hoping to get government to intervene with the […]
On Friday, the Scientific Steering Committee of the Belize Agricultural Health Authority issued a press release on the importation of genetically modified corn seeds into the country in mid-August. The release came a week after the destruction of twenty pounds of GMO kernels following instructions given by the government. In the memo, BAHA officials express […]
Aside from the ninth, there is another issue that is becoming controversial and we have not heard the last word on Genetically Modified Organisms. A release from the Scientific Steering Committee of the Belize Agricultural Health Authority on the Importation of GMO Corn Seeds for Trials in Belize, indicates that there might be farmers who […]
Despite the wet conditions across the country, in the West, Central Farm was crowded with Belizeans as they trekked through mud and rains for the commemoration of World Food Day. Local producers of food set up shop on the grounds to promote and educate the Belizean public on the importance of local food production and […]
The importation and experimental use of GMO corn seeds has stirred controversy. Last week government caused the destruction of a container of the seeds that had been brought into the country reportedly by members of the Mennonite community. In the south, there is strong opposition to the GMOs since it would alter the traditional way […]
ACES may be trying to save some crocs but another initiative is underway to destroy some corn. Genetically Modified Organisms or GMO’s have been a hot button issue lately for farmers and consumers. That is because an initiative was underway to import genetically modified corn. But approximately twenty pounds of BT seeds, initially intended for […]
The debate over the local introduction of genetically modified organisms remains ongoing between those who support the GMOs and others who are out rightly against its introduction into Belize. It is known that GMO corn seeds were imported into the country earlier this year without a mandatory risk assessment being conducted. Red flags immediately went […]
It has been affecting other Central American countries, and for the first time citrus leprosies has been detected in Belize. The first report came in early August when a farmer noticed that his fruits appeared to be rotting. The Citrus Grower’s Association’s research director suspected citrus leprosies and it was later confirmed in lab tests. […]
Three consecutive nights of thunderstorms pounded the banana farms in the south last week. It is estimated that close to twenty million dollars were lost when the rains destroyed the young plants and the bananas that were being prepared for export. The setback to the industry has been huge; exports to Fyffes in UK are […]
The banana belt in southern has been battered by three consecutive nights of intense thunderstorms, losing an estimated twenty to twenty-five million US dollars. Recovery is expected to take months and some growers will virtually have to start from scratch by replanting their farms. New Five asked the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Rene Montero […]
There’s more bad news for the banana growers of the Stann Creek District, whose farms were battered for a third time by thunderstorms on Wednesday night. The first two nights of freak storms caused financial losses estimated at some twenty million dollars and that figure is going up considerably. In an update via phone, General […]
Belize exports bananas to Fyffes; the first fruit brand in the world and arguably one of the most important fresh produce companies in Europe. But banana production is under threat after two nights of thunderstorms battered the country’s banana belt. That means that exports from the south of Belize to Fyffes’ headquarters in Ireland and […]
Assessment on the damage left behind by tropical storm Harvey on Saturday is underway and for one businessman, he has summed up his losses to close to a million dollars. John Carr, pioneer of Banana Bank Lodge says the unexpected force winds that lashed his corn fields over the weekend, flattened major plots of his […]
The Embassy of the United States of America launched the tenth annual Made in the U.S.A. Exhibition this morning at the Fifth Floor of the Radisson Fort George Hotel’s Villa Wing in Belize City. The exhibition showcases a variety of private sector entities that offer American products, services, and investments in Belize. The goal of […]
On Tuesday, the Government of Belize in collaboration with the European Union, launched its three year National Cattle Sanitary Plan. The aim is to test all cattle in the country for diseases and by extension, develop a national livestock registry for the exportation of cattle to Mexico and other countries. The work on the project […]
The Cooperative Department and the Peace Corps signed a memorandum of understanding today. For the next two years six Peace Corps, one per district, will be working in Belize to help develop the full potential of the respective cooperatives. News Five was at the program launch today. Nina Hernandez, Country Manager, Peace Corps “Our interest […]
The citrus industry is still reeling from a protracted dispute between the Citrus Growers Association and its subsidiary, the Citrus Products of Belize. Tonight there is word that another industry is in trouble, that’s the banana industry. Combined the citrus and banana industries are the life blood of the south providing most of the employment […]
Though there was plenty for the authorities to deal with today involving the bus industry and the squatters, the Citrus industry as you are well aware, has its own internal turmoil. It has been reeling from one dispute to the other and at the center has been the investment by Banks Holdings Limited of Barbados, […]
Last week, the court ruled against a declaration sought by the Citrus Growers Association to enforce the termination of Dr. Henry Canton as C.E.O. for Citrus Products of Belize Limited. That decision put a spoke in the wheels of the C.G.A. and today it sent out a release exposing an alleged plan by Canton to […]
