Cane Farmers Urged to Rethink Sweet Reliance

Is sugar a dying industry in Belize? With climate pressures rising and sugar prices uncertain, Belize’s sugar industry is being urged to rethink its future. Former Agriculture Minister Jose Mai and Prime Minister John Briceño are now engaging farmers on how to diversify and stay resilient. One option on the table, cattle farming. And according to the Prime Minister, the livestock sector could open up major new opportunities for cane farmers looking to expand beyond sugar.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“We have been talking with cane farmers for decades about diversifying, about not putting all your eggs in one basket. And now we have an opportunity with cattle, that we can export all our cattle into Mexico and Guatemala. We can’t meet the demand so there was an opportunity that both Jose Mai and I have been talking about to our farmers about, if you have some cane fields that are not marginal or not using, then you can convert it into pasture land and have a few heads of cattle to sell. So, it goes in line with what we are talking as government.”

 

According to the Statistical Institute of Belize, cattle export generated over sixteen million dollars in 2025, though declines have been recorded in recent months.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

Watch the full newscast here: