Belize’s Shrimp Production Triples as Industry Rebounds
More than a decade after disease nearly wiped out Belize’s shrimp industry, the sector is making a strong comeback. Production has tripled since 2020, and the industry is now valued at close to twenty-five million dollars. On Monday, Agriculture Minister Rodwell Ferguson visited Aqua Vista Shrimp Hatchery and Aqua Mar Belize shrimp farm to see how new technology, better shrimp genetics, and fresh investment are helping to drive that turnaround. With Belize now looking to grow its shrimp exports in regional and international markets, government says the recovery is a promising sign for the wider agriculture sector.
On The Phone: Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Agriculture
“Initially, there were seventeen shrimp farms, and since 2020 until 2024, I believe eleven was closed down because of the early syndrome that the shrimp they catch. And so after a while, more than fifty percent of the population dies. The early mortality syndromes. And so the shrimp industry is battling since 2020 to try to recover. Because for you to grow shrimp is a very expensive venture. First of all, you have to dig the ponds. You have to make sure you have a liner to make sure you have it properly lined and then add so many other things to it in terms of machinery and equipment. So just initially is a major investment. And then you have to build some houses to have people live around for safety purposes, especially for those who may want to come and steal your shrimps. And so this gentleman, Mr. Ravi, who is from originally from India, bought out the shrimp hatchery in Dangriga and also bought a shrimp farm in Sik Grass and also bought Aquamara, also at Independence. And so he has done some extensive investment trying to work and revive back the shrimp industry. He believes that by 2028, he should be producing at least over eight hundred thousand – over eight million pounds of shrimps per year. That’s gonna give him the opportunity to supply locally and likewise export.”
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