Belizeans Feel Financial Squeeze of Maaga Season

Just one week into the new year, many Belizeans are already tightening their belts as the annual “Maaga Season” sets in. After the holiday spending rush, household budgets are stretched, and that means essentials come first while luxuries take a back seat. For produce vendors in Belize City, the shift is being felt at the markets, with slower sales and fewer customers. In tonight’s edition of Kolcha Tuesday, News Five’s Britney Gordon takes to the streets of Belize City to find out how vendors are navigating the financial squeeze and making ends meet during this traditionally lean time.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

The Christmas decorations are coming down, but for many Belizeans, the bills are just starting to roll in. With the new year comes new expenses, and after the holiday splurge, maaga season has officially arrived. It’s a familiar time of tightening belts and cutting back, but even so, it often catches some people by surprise. So, how should people cope with this time of year? A Belize City fruit vendor simply known as Gilharry, says it’s about planning ahead of the season.

 

Voice of: Gilharry, Fruit Vendor

“It no treat me no way you know mami because I used to it and I balance up. And weh I reserve ya da quality no quantity. Most buyers and sellers go fi weh ney could mek but I reserve myself fi be quality. And all my customers come back anytime they need me who no need me ney run come back.”

 

Gilharry has been selling fruits for more than twenty years, and for the past thirteen years, he’s worked from the very same spot. He says experience has taught him what it takes to support his family, so when maaga season rolls around, he’s prepared, and not caught by surprise.

 

Britney Gordon

“You had told me earlier that maaga season da no something weh just happen, da something you prepare for. How do you prepare?”

 

Voice of: Gilharry, Fruit Vendor

“You have to ready. Well I know my schedule. I been here thirteen years. So I know my schedule and my customer.”

 

Over at the Pound Yard Market, fruit vendor Nadia Quetzal is also bracing for the dip in sales. She says maaga season is a yearly challenge for businesses, but navigating Belize’s post‑COVID economy has made it even tougher.

 

Voice of: Nadia Quetzal, Fruit Vendor

“During Christmas, it was higher than this time because everybody’s rushing last minute to purchase their stuff. But after Christmas, things decline. So people, I guess they’re recovering from the expenses and everything is slow right now. That’s what I can, my experience that I can share with you. It’s slow, very slow.”

 

Britney Gordon

“So do you see this decline every single year?”

 

Voice of: Nadia Quetzal

“Probably before COVID it wasn’t like that, but after COVID things for us never came back to be the same. So that’s my observation.” 

 

Fortunately for Quetzal, a steady stream of customers is enough to sustain her business. Budgeting, however, is key to making it through the lean months.

 

Voice of: Nadia Quetzal

“Basically we are making enough, to cover the expense. But it’s not as before. And yes, we have to work on a budget, so we have to ensure that we don’t exceed the expenses and run at the profitable margin. But we’re coping.”

 

Belize City resident Allen Francis says maaga season is really about cutting back on unnecessary spending and slowing things down, but he doesn’t believe that means giving up on enjoying life.

 

Britney Gordon

“What do you do every year when it comes to, to slow season?”

 

Allen Francis, Belize City Resident

“Well, I relax. Like weh I di do right now.”

 

Britney Gordon

“Is there a certain amount of budgeting that you have to do to prepare for it?

 

Allen Francis

“Definitely..”

 

Britney Gordon

“And what do you recommend to Belizean to do during this time?”

 

Allen Francis

“Like the hard time? Try something new.”

 

Although finances may be tight, with the right preparations, Belizeans survive the month. As for Gilharry, he says he does his best and leaves the rest to God.

 

Britney Gordon

“You feel that you fully prepared since you done di all your budgeting fi di rest ah January?”

 

Voice of: Gilharry, Fruit Vendor

“So far, thank God and I depend on God fi my blessing.”

 

For Belizeans navigating this annual challenge, setting priorities becomes essential. But for some, it is about finding joy even in hard times. Britney Gordon for News Five.