They will be officially honoured this weekend at the National Agriculture and Trade Show, and today their names were released to the public. Gustavo Cardenas of Indian Creek in the Orange Walk District has been named farmer of the year. He is joined in the record books by Anita Chan of Bullet Tree Falls who […]
Last week in Havana he lambasted the trend towards globalisation as a racket perpetuated by the rich nations against the poor. This week, faced with the reality of a country which must work hard for its daily bread, Prime Minister Said Musa helped officially launch a new body which will prepare our exports for the […]
Red Tilapia fingerlings cultivated at the Fisheries Department hatchery was released on Thursday at the Beaver Dam Aquaculture Sweetwater Zone on the Western Highway. The fish were imported from Taiwan and are a sample of an expected 150,000 babies that will be purchased at the end of May for a three pond experiment. Project owner […]
It is designed to help farmers and residents of the Toledo District help themselves, and today the project was launched in Punta Gorda. News Five was invited down south for the occasion. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting Farmers and people of the southern districts of Stann Creek and Toledo will be able to access loans for small […]
Despite depressed world prices and some technical glitches in the early months of this year’s fruit processing, there is cautious optimism in southern Belize over the future of the citrus industry. Officials are predicting a record crop of six point two million boxes of orange and grapefruit, markets are being opened in Europe and the […]
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Co-operatives is issuing a reminder to the public that vegetable importation is being monitored. The Ministry has restricted the importation of carrots, potatoes, cabbages, sweet peppers and tomatoes to guarantee a local market for farmers. However, it seems that some people are still smuggling these vegetables from neighboring countries […]
Chicken is the most widely consumed animal product in Belize with thousands eating it stewed, fried or in tacos every day. But the industry that provides thousands of jobs and birds for the local dinner table is under threat from something that looks quite innocent: white eggs. The Ministry of Agriculture is asking Belizeans not […]
In September the presence of the Pink Hibiscus Mealy Bug was detected for the first time in Belize. To combat the problem biological agents, special wasps were brought in from the Caribbean. But the high cost of the insects meant only a minimum could be purchased. Now with funding from the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation […]
After the detection of the Pink Hibiscus Mealy Bug and subsequent measures to control its spread in August and September, the Ministry of Agriculture has conducted a week-long survey to determined the extent of the infestation. The districts of Corozal, Orange Walk and Punta Gorda have been found to be totally free of the insect. […]
Although it was only detected in Belize City at the end of September, the Ministry of Agriculture believes the Pink Hibiscus Mealy Bug has quietly been munching on Belizean plants and fruit trees for as long as nine months. They believe it was brought into the country by someone who arrived by air and did […]
If you went anywhere over the weekend you no doubt encountered the men and women in orange who were manning the quarantine points on the highways to stop people from transporting plants which could spread the Pink Hibiscus Mealy Bug. Today the Ministry of Agriculture has brought in the heavy artillery in the battle: wasps. […]
This afternoon twenty thousand red headed ladybird beetles arrived in the country via Federal Express. The beetles, which did not have any time to do some sight seeing on their own, were quickly rounded up and put to work. Their mission? To destroy the thousands of mealy bugs that have infested a variety of plants […]
The Pink Hibiscus Mealy Bug may be the biggest challenge facing the Ministry of Agriculture lately, but on a daily basis the staff has to deal with transportation problems, especially in more remote areas. The Ministry got a little help today from Taiwan with a gift of six new motorcycles. Ambassador to Taiwan, Kuo-Hsiung Shen […]
The European Union is offering grants from ten thousand to one hundred thousand Belize dollars to agribusiness owners to cover up to seventy-five percent of the cost of a research or training project. Adelina Jeffrey, Trade Investment and Promotion Service National Coordinator says the fund was made possible through Belize’s membership in CARIFORUM. Jeffrey says […]
The fears of the Ministry of Agriculture have been realized. Today a specialist from Barbados confirmed that the Pink Hibiscus Mealy Bug is in Belize. As they await the arrival of biological agents, beetles and wasps, to control the pest, the Ministry is launching an aggressive media campaign, hoping to obtain the public’s cooperation, a […]
The Prime Minister Said Musa signed the necessary papers to get a three point six million-dollar loan to improve the competitiveness of Belize’s agricultural products abroad. Prime Minister Musa met with officials of the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington DC. Under the conditions of the loan, services provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and […]
Although they are still not certain it is the Pink Hibiscus Mealy Bug, the Ministry of Agriculture is acting as if it is and they want the public to be on the alert. Several areas of Belize City have already been affected. How serious is the problem, and what can you do if you suspect […]
Belize City is under quarantine after the Ministry of Agriculture discovered what they suspect may be the Pink Hibiscus Mealy Bug. While officials stress they have not yet received official confirmation that the bugs discovered in Buttonwood Bay and Bella Vista are indeed the P.H.M.B., they are taking a number of precautions. Within the next […]
If you went to the National Agriculture and Trade Show in Belmopan, you were in good company. The Ministry of Agriculture reports that over 27 thousand people enjoyed the event on Saturday and Sunday which included the usual livestock competitions as well as entertainment for the whole family. (Musical Montage) After a long absence, the […]
With the National Agriculture and Trade Show opening this Friday in Belmopan, the Ministry of Agriculture has announced the Farmers of the Year. Manuel Posadas of San Pedro, Corozal has been chosen Farmer of the Year for his cultivation of cash crops such as sugarcane, plantain, vegetables and root crops. He also raises livestock and […]
Belize will once again export citrus to Guatemala. According to the Ministry of Agriculture Belize had always met certain export standards, but when restrictions were heightened earlier this year to prevent the spread of the Brown Citrus Aphid, Belize’s citrus harvest became prohibited. Guatemala had established an emergency quarantine, but at a meeting in Guatemala […]
A seminar on Belize’s rice industry is being held this week in Belmopan. The three-day event sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture will focus on strengthening the industry to meet demands for rice exports to Mexico, CARICOM and European markets. According to Minister Daniel Silva the instability of rice production in Belize is a major […]
One private sector development that will make the government’s goals significantly easier to realize was officially announced today. That is the sale of the Citrus Company of Belize to Great Britain’s Commonwealth Development Corporation. The ten million U.S. dollar deal is the opening round in what is expected to be a full takeover of the […]
The Minister of Sugar Industries Florencio Marin’s office announced today that he has been informed that the Belize Cane Farmers Association will not sign a modified agreement with Belize Sugar Industries Limited, B.S.I., for a one percent bonus on sales revenue for sugar produced this past year. The ministry says the agreement, which dates back […]
It is beginning to resemble a battle of the press releases. First the Chamber of Commerce used the printed word to lambast the United States Government for its alleged attempts to kill off the Caribbean Banana Industry in favor of its own giant multinational corporations. The U.S. Embassy then fired back a salvo of its […]
