Food fairs might seem like just the place to get bargains on everything from food to health remedies. But as News 5’s Jacqueline Woods found out in Orange Walk today, these kinds of events are previews of coming attractions in the business world. Jacqueline Woods “This exhibition is really an eye opener because it gives […]
This week Belizean sugarcane farmers got a hand from Government for their next crop, by way of cheaper fuel. According to a press release, farmers will be able to buy more than one million gallons of fuel at a duty-free discount of two dollars a gallon. While it certainly makes other drivers a little jealous, […]
On Sunday, members of the Belize Citrus Growers Association were given the details of the deal which saw the C.G.A. buy out the nation’s sole fruit processor, Del Oro. It turns out that after a year of negotiations the growers achieved what appears to be a first class bargain, paying two U.S. dollars–that’s right, T-W-O–plus […]
With just over a week to go before Central American Agriculture Ministers meet in Belize, representatives of the region’s health and agricultural organisation called OIRSA, got busy today. Their purpose was to review the results of a two-day technical meeting held earlier this week, as well as to discuss an upcoming ministerial meeting in Belize. […]
The big news from the south tonight is that the Citrus Growers Association has completed the deal to buy out processing company, Del Oro. The exact figures and terms of the take over will be revealed at the C.G.A.’s annual general meeting on the nineteenth of October. Speaking with Chief Executive Officer of the C.G.A., […]
Members of the Citrus Growers Association are being reminded not to miss the organisation’s annual general meeting on October nineteenth… and it appears that when they gather, it will be to hear some long awaited news. Industry sources tell News 5 that negotiations for the C.G.A.’s buyout of the sole citrus processor, Del Oro, are […]
It has been a while since we heard good news from the citrus industry, but while sugar and bananas have been dominating the economic headlines, Belize’s citrus growers have been quietly watching their assets grow. With poor production in Florida and disease cutting into Brazilian production, world citrus prices have rebounded to the point where […]
With the sugar industry suffering from problems ranging from production to marketing to politics, many experts say that the best bet for the future of the north is diversification. And while that advice is nothing new, the project visited today by News 5’s Janelle Chanona seems to present an alternative well grounded in reality. Janelle […]
Farmers and fruit vendors operating in and around the Punta Gorda town limits are under quarantine tonight after inspections by officials from the Ministry of Agriculture done over the weekend turned up female Mediterranean fruit flies. According to the Belize Agriculture Health Authority’s Director of Quarantine, Delilah Cabb, on Thursday, two specimens of the Medfly […]
The announcement earlier this week that Minister of Works Henry Canton will resign his Cabinet post to take a top job in the citrus industry was major news. But in the final analysis, the bigger story may be the fact that Canton’s new employers, the Citrus Grower’s Association, are for the first time poised to […]
Cane farmers will tell you that the most dangerous aspect of working in a Belizean cane field is the possibility of running into a poisonous snake. On Saturday, however, it was not a Tommy Goff that attacked a canero; it was a swarm of killer bees. According to police reports, fifty-four year old Eluterio Cal, […]
While most visitors to the Agriculture Show grounds this weekend endured the intense heat to inspect the various booths and sample the food and drinks, the main tribute of the fair goes to Belizean farmers. As usual, three farmers from different parts of the country were awarded junior, woman and senior farmers of the year […]
In connection with the upcoming National Agriculture and Trade Show, the Ministry of Agriculture has named its farmers of the year. This year’s Junior Farmer of the Year is sixteen year old Efrain Cano of Caledonia Village in the Corozal District. He has been doing his own farming for three years, having previously worked with […]
Belize’s banana growers will benefit from a six million dollar grant provided by the European Union. The money, part of a larger aid package to A.C.P. banana producers, will be used to improve drainage and irrigation in order to increase yields. With its traditional preferential tariffs ruled illegal by the World Trade Organisation, the E.U. […]
They are highly sought by Belize’s inland fishermen, but are increasingly difficult to find in the nation’s rivers, creeks and lagoons. But today we found out that the shortage may not last much longer. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting Today, the Ministry of Fisheries embarked on an initiative for the development of aquaculture in Belize. The Biscayne […]
Since the banana industry was crippled after Hurricane Iris wiped out plantations down south, the fruit has been a scarcity on the local market. But for banana lovers everywhere, including some members of our staff, there is some good news to report. We managed to find a good supply of bananas at the Queen’s Square […]
One benefit of increased tourism is its expansion of the market for local goods and services. To ensure that the tourism industry recognises this need, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries held a meeting this morning with key tourism officials. According to the Ministry’s C.E.O., Sergio Garcia, a number of measures will be put in […]
Cashew, that pricey delicacy sold on the main streets of every Belizean city and town, is slated to emerge from a cottage industry into a major source of income for farmers in the Belize District. Cabinet on Monday approved a project, spearheaded by the Ministry of Agriculture, which aims to have two thousand, two hundred […]
Earlier in this newscast, we reported on a new initiative to develop a modern cashew industry in the Belize District. Over a decade ago our production team looked at the traditional business of cashew growing as practised by Eric Burns of Crooked Tree. Host of the report, as seen on the show “Belize All Over”, […]
The images on television illustrating the impact of the Foot and Mouth disease in Europe are still vivid in the minds of livestock producers here in Belize. Despite the fact that Belize is F.M.D. free, today the Ministry of Agriculture launched a three-day workshop on the disease. The aim is to assess the impact it […]
With its organic cacao fetching prices well above the world market, the Toledo Cacao Growers Association is looking to dramatically increase production. A proposal has recently been approved by the organisation Trees for the Future, to assist the T.C.G.A. to establish nurseries in both the Toledo and Stann Creek Districts. That assistance, which includes seeds […]
Belizeans and tourists who like to dine on venison may get some good news as a programme to boost production of farmed deer is getting off the ground. A herd of twenty fallow deer imported to Central Farm in February has given birth to thirteen fawns, which will be ready for market by the end […]
“Belizeans do no consume enough fruits and vegetables.” That’s according to Ministry of Health Nutritionists Gilda Richardson. In an effort to assist Belizeans with their daily dose of vitamins, minerals and iron and also ensure that farmers get the right price for their produce, an agricultural team toured Belize City supermarkets this morning. For Eulalio […]
In economic news government is encouraging farmers to turn cashew growing from a local cottage industry into a significant export crop. A million dollar project involving the Ministry of Agriculture, BELTRAIDE and the Belize Audubon Society is looking to expand the industry by improving efficiency in processing, marketing and finance. The first step was the […]
Agriculture ministers from Central America, Mexico, Panama and the Dominican Republic are in the country today taking part in the twenty-first Ordinary Meeting of the Regional Council for Agricultural Co-operation and the Central American Agricultural Council. In his opening address, Minister of Agriculture Daniel Silva emphasised the need for Belizean farmers to move into crops […]
