June, 2025 - Greater Belize Media

Raise Local Sugar Price to Combat Contrabandists?

With the sugar industry in crisis, many Belizeans are wondering if grocery store shelves will soon be empty. But according to Agriculture Minister Jose Mai, the real threat isn’t a lack of supply, it’s illegal exports. As Mexico faces its own sugar shortage, contrabandists are eyeing Belize’s cheaper, high-quality sugar. And that, says Minister Mai, could drain the local market. His proposed solution? Raise the local price to keep sugar at home.

Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture

“I think there is a drop in the production of sugar, I think it is seventy eight thousand tons from a hundred and ten thousand tons. That is a twenty-five thousand tons drop in production. But our local consumption is twelve thousand tons. So we have for local consumption. What I am uncertain of is how is Mexico coping with their local demand. Local have three markets, the world market and the U.S. market. But their price is three times higher than Belize. So if the price is three times there and our price is seventy-five cents, the contraband becomes rampant, uncontrollable. That is why oi am saying we need to increase our price to maintain our sugar here. And damned we will not import sugar from the U.S. this year. This is not something we encourage. It is not good for the country. We have a local consumption. It is not good for the people and we export the excess.”

Paul Lopez

“You are saying we will need to increase the local price of sugar, when will that happen?”

Jose Mai

“Well we have been looking at it for sometime. We are getting some push back. But I think it is fair the farmers get a fair price for sugar. We are working on a paper, I submitted one to Cabinet but we did not get approval for it. But we think it is necessary for farmers to get an increase on their sugar. It is important that it is justified and it is equitable.”

So, will it work or just make things harder for consumers already feeling the pinch?

Cruise Ships In, Groceries Up: Belize’s Mixed Bag

Belize’s economy is showing some serious staying power. Despite big hits to agriculture and manufacturing, the country still managed to grow by two percent in the first quarter of 2025. That’s right, while sugarcane and citrus took a dive, tourism and services stepped up in a big way. Cruise ships are docking, hotels are buzzing, and financial services are booming. But here’s the twist: while more Belizeans are working than ever before, many are still feeling the pinch at the grocery store, and not everyone’s sharing in the recovery. So, is this a comeback story… or a tale of two economies? Let’s break it down.

Belize’s Economy Grows 2% in Q1 2025 Despite Agricultural Setbacks

Belize’s economy showed resilience in the first quarter of 2025, posting a 2.0% growth despite significant contractions in agriculture and manufacturing. According to the Statistical Institute of Belize, the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reached $1.486 billion, up from $1.457 billion in the same period last year. The tertiary sector led the charge, expanding by 7.4% to $977.6 million, fueled by a 12.2% surge in accommodation and food services and a 12.6% boost in financial and insurance services. Tourism played a key role, with cruise arrivals rising 5.2% and overnight visitors up 1.9%. However, the primary sector shrank by 10.8%, hit hard by a 29.7% drop in sugarcane production due to fusarium disease, and steep declines in citrus and banana outputs. The secondary sector also fell 8.7%, driven by a 20.4% slump in manufacturing, including a 36.9% drop in sugar production and a two-third plunge in citrus concentrate output. Despite these challenges, marine exports surged 38.5%, and electricity generation rose 9%, signaling pockets of strength in the economy. Belize’s Q1 performance highlights a shifting economic landscape, with services outpacing traditional agriculture and manufacturing.

Prices Are Up—But Are We Really Feeling the Pinch?

In May 2025, Belize’s inflation rate ticked up by 1.0%, with everyday essentials like food, rent, and cooking gas leading the charge. While that may sound modest, the rising cost of basics: like bread, fruit juices, and even deodorant has many Belizeans wondering: Is life quietly getting more expensive? At the same time, fuel prices have dropped, and some tech gadgets are cheaper. But does that really help the average household struggling to keep up with grocery bills and rent hikes? With San Pedro seeing the steepest price increases and Independence Village actually experiencing a drop in prices, the question becomes: Who’s really benefiting—and who’s being left behind—in this shifting economy?

Is Belize’s Job Market Booming—or Just Shifting?

The unemployment rate has dropped to a record low of 2.1%, and nearly 13,700 new jobs were added over the past year. On the surface, that sounds like great news. But dig a little deeper, and the picture becomes more complex. While more people are working, women and young people are still being left behind. Men are far more likely to be in the workforce, and youth unemployment remains stubbornly high. Meanwhile, informal jobs—often unstable and without benefits—make up more than a third of all employment. So, is this economic progress truly inclusive? Or are some groups still being left out of the recovery?

Isani Cayetano for News Five.

A Pay Raise is on the Table, PM Briceno Says It’s a Fair Deal

Prime Minister John Briceño is applauding his negotiation team after a key meeting with the joint unions in Belize City on Thursday. The government is offering a four-and-a-half percent salary adjustment this October, followed by another four percent boost in October 2026. On top of that, two salary increments are set to return, one in April 2026 and another in April 2027. PM Briceño is calling it an “affordable proposal,” but will it be enough to satisfy union demands? That’s the big question moving forward.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“Also, we continue to work with our unions to come to a fair and just resolution om the matter of their salary adjustment. I am assured that yesterday’s meeting of the joint union negotiating team was cordial and productive. I have to take time to thank the DPM and his team, the chairman, Minister Requena, Minister Florencio, Minister Fonesca and Coye are both out of the country. But they had a good meeting, cordial, tense at times because both sides are working hard to make their points. I believe that at the end they have come with something that can be supported by both the government and the unions. Our government has once again offered a counterproposal to the unions that is affordable, one that would get for our teachers and public officers am eight point five percent salary adjustment and increments in a reasonable time period. We have never doubted we will reach an amicable solution with the unions because we have and will always continue to act in good faith. Just as we have no doubt that together we will manage the external and internal shocks we face. This PUP government has not and will not throw up our hands when it comes to facing the difficult tasks that come with governance. We will nether grieve or weep. We will work, because that is what the people expect from us and that is why they are standing with us.”

Strike Countdown Nears: Unions to Decide Sunday

The clock is ticking on a potential public service strike. Earlier this month, the Public Service Union gave official notice of their intent to take industrial action, and that twenty-one-day countdown is almost up. With the deadline just days away, Labor Minister Florencio Marin joined Thursday’s negotiations as an observer, keeping a close eye on talks between the government and the joint union team. Today, he told us the unions have promised a response to the government’s latest proposal by Sunday. And that response? It could determine whether the Ministry of Labor steps in, or whether the country braces for a strike.

Florencio Marin, Minister of Labor

“We do have an obligation to start participating from the labor ministry. We have been asked to get ourselves involved, either to mediate or send it back to them to continue negotiations, or if need be to take it to a tribunal. That is where we are at right now.”

Reporter

“Is Sunday the cut off date?”

Florencio Marin

“No it is not. But the unions told the government side they will respond on Sunday. So form there we will know. One of the things in their letter they have wrote is that they have reached an impasse. And from what I saw in the meeting it did seem quite constructive in the conversation they had. I actually enjoyed witnessing it. But I have to wait until Sunday to see what the response is. I am hoping it is a positive one.”

GOB Legislates Commitment to Grant Aided Schools

The Government of Belize is making good on a major commitment to teachers. Under Proposal Twenty-Two, the Briceño administration pledged to fully cover the salaries and pensions of staff at grant-aided schools starting in 2024. That promise, hailed as a big win for educators, is now being written into law. But how much will this cost taxpayers? Education Minister Oscar Requena breaks down the numbers behind this historic move.

Oscar Requena, Minister of Education

“Subsection one of proposal twenty-two proposed that the ministry of education and the government pays the full one hundred percent salaries and benefits of all grants aided secondary and tertiary level educational institutions in Belize. This full salary payment would offer all qualifying teachers and administrators full one hundred percent pensions and service benefits for all staff, whether teaching or non- teaching would be honored. It is important to note that the Ministry of Education and the government currently pays a salary grant of seventy percent, moving it now to a hundred percent in proposal twenty-two. For 2024 the estimated seventy percent salary grant stood at thirty million nine hundred and eleven thousand six hundred and fifty-seven dollars and sixty-nine cents. The thirty percent additional salaries and service benefits increased by thirteen million two hundred and forty-seven thousand eight hundred and fifty-three thousand and thirty cents. The projected allowance for secondary school students is seven hundred and ninety thousand three hundred dollars, bringing it to a total of forty-four million nine hundred and forty-nine thousand eight hundred and ten dollars and ninety-nine cents.”

Panton and Team Go Back to Court for Clarification

The rift inside the United Democratic Party is deepening. Tracy Taegar-Panton and her camp are once again challenging the leadership of Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow, this time, in court. After a judge ruled her expulsion from the party was unlawful, Panton is making it clear: she and other senior members aren’t going anywhere. In fact, she says they remain full members, with all rights and privileges intact. But the party’s official response? Not so fast. A press release under the UDP’s letterhead insists the court hearing changes nothing. So, who’s really calling the shots, and what does this mean for the future of the UDP? We caught up with Panton today in Belmopan.

Tracy Taegar-Panton, Leader of the Opposition

“I thought the court ruling was clear the first time around when it was published on the twenty-first of May. However the way we were treated as members of the party did not reflect the decision of the judge. We sought clarification internally and there was a difference of view as to what the judge said and meant. So, the only way to declare is to seek clarification from the high court, which was done. The High Court has now made it abundantly clear that the expulsions were illegal. They are invalid, therefore void and of no legal effect. That was my understand the first time. Now the onus is on the Central Executive of the party to ensure that my membership and the membership of the other colleagues who were purportedly expelled be dne away with, that our rights and privileges be recognized as members of the UDP, so we can move forward in an effort to try and bridge the divide, unite the party and be the robust opposition that we have a mandate to be.”

Panton Fights on as Political Party Splinters

The back-and-forth inside the United Democratic Party just got even more tangled. A new press release from Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow’s camp says the court didn’t actually confirm Tracy Taegar-Panton’s membership in the UDP—and that it’s up to the party, not the judge, to decide who stays and who goes. But Panton isn’t backing down. We asked her directly about that claim and got her take on how this ongoing tug-of-war is deepening the wounds in a party already struggling to heal.

Tracy Taegar-Panton, Leader of the Opposition

“That is not what the judge said in court yesterday. I have not seen the most recent press release from Jamal Barrow, purporting to be from the UDP, because I am doubtful that the party will hold itself out to be in contempt of court. SO I am sure that release was sent by Jamal Barrow. The matter is the judge explained as he did the first time that the inner workings of the party is not for the court, however the matter of law is for the court. The party can choose to take action against me in the future, but it has to do so through the proper process and provision of the constitution of the party, which is failed to do, making the purported expulsion, unlawful, illegal, invalid and void of any legal effect.”

Paul Lopez

“How does this does this back and forth impact the journey to unity?”

Tracy Taegar-Panton

“I think it is highly unnecessary. I thought going back to court was highly unnecessary. But you cannot trample on the rights and privileges of members, of elected officials or appointed officials. Hence we had to go back to court. It is my hope that we can move forward to stop the hemorrhaging, we have bled to death in my view, stop the hemorrhaging and move forward to unite the party so we can be what we have a mandate to be, a robust opposition that will hold this administration to account.”

UB Drops the Gavel on Saqui, Keeps the Details Quiet

The University of Belize has taken a bold and controversial step, terminating the employment of faculty member Doctor Pio Saqui following an investigation into allegations of professional misconduct. The university says the decision was made after a thorough and impartial review by an independent Ad Hoc Committee, followed by legal consultation. But with few details released and confidentiality cited, the public is left wondering: What exactly happened—and was justice truly served? According to UB’s official statement, the process began after formal complaints were filed against Doctor Saqui. The university responded by launching an internal investigation, led by a committee tasked with gathering evidence and conducting interviews. The findings were then reviewed by the Office of the President and independent legal counsel. The conclusion? The conduct in question amounted to “gross misconduct” under both UB’s Faculty and Staff Handbook and the Belize Labor Act. In a press release issued today, UB President Doctor Vincent Palacio emphasized the university’s commitment to maintaining a safe and respectful academic environment. “We will not tolerate conduct that undermines safety, dignity, or trust in our academic community,” he stated. “This action reaffirms our commitment to upholding a culture of accountability, integrity, and student-centered learning.” Still, the university has declined to share further details, citing the need to protect the confidentiality of those involved. That silence has sparked curiosity, and concern, among students, faculty, and the wider public. Without knowing the nature of the allegations or the evidence considered, some are asking whether the process was as transparent and fair as it was thorough. The university has encouraged members of its community to report misconduct and says it is working to strengthen its internal systems for prevention, reporting, and support. But the case raises broader questions: How do institutions balance transparency with privacy? And how can the public be confident in outcomes when the details are kept behind closed doors? As the dust settles, one thing is clear, UB’s decision has sent a strong message about its expectations for professional conduct. Whether that message builds trust or fuels skepticism may depend on what comes next.

Advisor or Crony? Home Affairs’ Appointment Questioned

The Ministry of Home Affairs is under scrutiny after news broke that retired senior police officer Aaron Guzman is being brought on as an advisor with a seventy-thousand-dollar salary and a government vehicle. Critics were quick to question the move, suggesting it was a cushy role created just for the CEO’s benefit. But Minister Kareem Musa is pushing back, saying Guzman’s role is broader, meant to support the entire ministry, not just one individual. With crime evolving and new challenges like cyber threats and animal welfare on the ministry’s plate, Musa argues that experienced voices like Guzman’s are essential.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“I think you made mention of the salary, that seventy thousand per year and it is a one year contract. And, he is provided a vehicle as well. And I know the media has run with this as any sort of new scandal. But, anyone can tell you that Mr. Guzman is not a crony of mine. This is not a cronies contract. You are talking about somebody with institutional experience and knowledge as a deputy commissioner of police. And as the deputy prime minister mentioned today, the act of governance no doubt today requires all hands on deck. None of you are asking how you get the results each year you do, that we stand fourteen murders less than last year. Nobody is looking at that and I am not saying that all of that is attributed to Mr. Guzman. I am saying that there are several pieces to this puzzle starting with the officers of this department have been doing a phenomenal job in terms of the training that they’ve been getting in terms of the LIU intervention and all these programs implemented and the way crimes have evolved so much. We are not talking about just gang violence and domestic violence. We are talking about cyber security. We are talking about our ministry is being asked and tasked to look at animal welfare, if you remember the issue with the horse. So there is a lot of policies and strategies that somebody like Mr. Guzman can offer to the ministry, not the CEO. Because, you ran with that like he is some special advisor to the CEO. I think it was you that said that. It is not just to the CEO, it is the entire ministry that he assist in terms of the policies, programs and strategies.”

Paul Lopez

“It brings into the question the competence of your chief executive officer.”

Kareem Musa

“Again I want to make the point, and don’t cut and splice me because you have been accused of that lately. He is an advisor to the ministry. He is not limited to just advising the chief executive office the way Courtney spun that. You asked the question. One of his duties does require him to advise the CEO as well. but it is to the ministry. And I will share the contract with you Paul, because you want to see it. But it is to the ministry, not the CEO. So please stop going with that narrative.”

Still, the question remains: Is this a smart investment in public safety, or a case of political optics?

OSH Bill Finally Sees Movement Inside National Assembly

After more than a decade of waiting, Belize is finally moving to modernize its workplace safety laws. The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Bill has landed in the National Assembly, aiming to replace outdated legislation and extend protection to all workers, not just those in factories. Labor Minister Florencio Marin says it’s about more than rules, it’s about dignity, fairness, and keeping Belizeans safe on the job. But with such a long delay in getting here, the question is: Why did it take so long, and will it deliver the change workers have been demanding?

Florencio Marin, Minister of Labor

“The introduction of this bill in this house reflects not only commitment of our workers and employers but our nation’s commitment to human dignity, fairness and the value of labor. By strengthening and enforcing OSH policies, we are not only protecting workers, we are building a safer, healthier and more productive society. The current factories act which this bill seeks to appeal is outdated and limited in scope. Our workplaces have evolved significantly and so too must our laws. This bill extends protection beyond factories to include all work places and sectors ensuring that every worker in Belize has the right to a safe and healthy working environment. The development of this bill has spanned more than a decade. With the Cabinet’s renewed mandate in 2024 and technical support from the ILO, we finalized the draft bill through wide stakeholders consultations. This bill aligns with Belize’s international commitments under ILO Conventions 155 and 187 and supports the implementation of our decent working country program 2024, 2009.”

With the legislation, Belize will establish an National OSH Advisory Committee and a OSH Inspectorate under the Ministry of Labor