Belize’s Farming Future Gets a Boost with New Agri-Processing Hub

Belize’s agriculture sector is about to get more than just a boost; it’s gearing up for a transformation. The Ministry of Agriculture has signed onto a four‑year, multimillion‑dollar partnership with Taiwan, and this time the focus isn’t only on growing crops, but on growing opportunity. At the heart of the initiative is a brand‑new food processing and incubation center, a facility designed to help farmers turn raw harvests into value‑added products. And with Taiwan bringing decades of agricultural innovation to the table, Belize is tapping into expertise that could change the way local farmers do business. We caught up with Minister Rodwell Ferguson to break down how this project aims to strengthen agro‑processing, improve farmers’ livelihoods, and push Belize’s agri‑industry into its next phase of growth.

 

On The Phone: Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and New Growth Industries

“Over the last couple months, maybe two years, discussion was with them to see how we can get a processing facility to do agro-processing. And lo and behold, for the last two or two weeks they made contact with us and said they were successful in making sure that we get this facility. I believe it’s very expensive. We are talking about four-point-five million US dollars. And our contribution was only five hundred thousand. It’s obvious that Taiwan contribute more than ninety percent towards the project and we appreciate it very much. It’s gonna be based in Central Farm, and then we are going to – taking the fruits from the farmers and put it into value added.”

 

Shane Williams

“Can you tell us how the farmers will be selected and when do we see this coming on stream?”

 

Rodwell Ferguson

“It’ll take another two or three months, I believe, because they have to improve the infrastructure and put the machines in place to be able to tell the farmers they are now ready. Because the processing will be in Central Farm, I’m quite sure the people in the Cayo district might benefit more because they are closer, but the same time we can transport the produce from point A to point B once we establish what they are going to process.”