The Protected Areas Conservation Trust, Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise, BELTRAIDE, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), and the Department of Cooperatives have teamed up to launch an important initiative to empower Belizean communities. The third part of the Sustainable Livelihood Project offers tools, training, and support to help create nature-based businesses and build resilience against climate threats like droughts, floods, and wildfires.
Abil Castaneda
Abil Castaneda, Executive Director, PACT
“Addressing climate change is not just now building infrastructure. Addressing climate change is not just about building awareness. It really has to do with changing behavior, it has to do now in how do we seek ways in which we can build economic resilience for the people that are mostly impacted by climate change. And so, yesterday, PM Briceno made a call and a call for urgency because we are seeing it more and more today that our lives are changing. What the new norm is becoming, we have to acknowledge it, we have to appreciate it, but we also have to act urgently to address it because it will impact us. We are having longer droughts, we are having heavier flood events. We are now having more instances of forest fires and all of these things can impact us, but for the cause of today, they impact, in reality, our food security and I think we, many times, outside of the realm of the agricultural sector, don’t realize how critical and vulnerable that is to ensure that our country and our people have food for the future.”
BELTRAIDE has received nearly eight hundred thousand dollars to help five community groups with business development training, technical support, and market access for sustainable projects. By backing local entrepreneurs, especially women and youth, this initiative boosts Belize’s commitment to climate resilience, economic empowerment, and sustainable development.
Jorge Gentle, Acting Manager, SBDC
“The sector has faced its own challenges, looking at the ever-changing climate change. Also looking at fluctuating commodity prices and also access to modern farming technologies. In recent years, more frequently droughts, unpredicted rainfall and also rising production costs that have strained farmers and agrobusinesses. Additionally, small farmers often struggle in securing access to finance which we are glad that this project also has a component that aims to provide access to finance, access to markets and integrating into the value chain. Despite these challenges, there are opportunities for innovation, improved sustainability and market expansion that can help to strengthen the sector and drive long-term success. Again, we received a very detailed description of the components of the project which Dr. Williams was able to share. Again, it doesn’t only as… I’ve had the opportunity of sharing many of the projects that BELTRAIDE has collaborated with stakeholders in the past as good practices within the region and, again, I’m glad that this project also is not one that just provides training, not just one that provides finance, but it is a very holistic approach where it looks at hand-holding throughout the phase of developing, again, looking at climate resilient enterprises.”
Belize has always been known for having a trade deficit because we import far more than we export. This means our spending on imports consistently outpaced our earnings from exports. February was no different, with total imports valued at two hundred and eighteen point four million dollars and domestic exports at twenty-three point three million. Interestingly, these figures show a decrease in imports and an increase in exports compared to February 2024. In this edition of Five Point Breakdown, News Five’s Marion Ali takes a closer look at the factors behind these shifts, highlighting which import categories saw a decline and which industries performed better.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Our country’s imports and exports can be compared to how well we manage a business. Balancing how much profits we make and how much we spend can be a challenge if our personal expenses outweigh our gains. Similarly, a country’s imports and exports tell a story on how it is performing on the global scale. While we are a far cry from being self-sufficient, in February, Belize managed its imports and exports a little better than February of 2024. We imported four percent fewer goods, a difference of nine point one million dollars, bringing the total down from two hundred and twenty-seven point five million. However, Diana Castillo, the Director General of the Statistical Institute of Belize, pointed out that this doesn’t necessarily mean imports were lower this February. Instead, last year’s figures were unusually high due to significant purchases of large industrial equipment and electric buses.
(Factors that Could Have Contributed to Low Imports)
Diana Castillo
Diana Castillo, Director General, S.I.B.
“What we saw last year in the earlier months of last year was the importation of some major equipment, some of the industrial equipment. So, these are for major industries. And other types of vehicles, including electric buses which is something that was newly introduced to the city last year.”
This chart provided by the S.I.B compares the gross imports and exports for the month of February over the past five years. For imports, the figures have steadily been increasing. Hugh O’Brien, Senior Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture pointed out that regardless of how imports perform in a month, our growing population will drive the figures up.
(Why Imports Will Continue to Grow)
Hugh O’Brien
Hugh O’Brien, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Agriculture
“In terms of trying to reduce our – or let me not even say the word reduce because as our population grows, we will find that our importation will continue to grow because, as a country, we buy more things from abroad and we don’t produce these things here.”
O’Brien went on to explain that Belize uses a lot of the items that we do not produce locally, such as vehicle parts and cell phones.
Hugh O’Brien
“We are not producing vehicle parts. We are not producing cars; we’re not producing electronic equipment. We’re not producing lots of the stuff that we consume in the country. When I say consume, not consume from a food perspective, but that we use – your watches, your cell phones, your clothing, your chain, your footwear.”
Belize’s exports for February reached twenty-three point three million dollars, marking a twelve point three percent increase compared to February 2024. Diana Castillo highlighted the factors that contributed to this spike.
Diana Castillo
“We saw earnings doubling from three million or so to over six million dollars in the first two months of this year. This is an increase in exports of things like lobsters, conch, lobster tails. We also saw a notable increase in exports of sugar.”
Reyhan Rosado, a policy analyst with the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, spends his days analyzing trade data from the S.I.B. He noted that sometimes the higher revenues we see aren’t just from exporting more goods, but also from fetching better prices on the global market.
(Factors that Could Have Driven Revenues Up)
Reyhan Rosado
Reyhan Rosado, Policy Analyst, B.C.C.I.
“Citrus exports from 2023 to 2024 were at point four, four million gallon in 2023, when I think the total export value of that was sixteen million. But in 2024, the total export value was point four, five million gallons and total export value was thirty million for the entire year. So that just goes to show how much commodity prices can affect the value of imports, even though production hasn’t really gone up or gone down.”
Rosado explained that similarly, Belize’s import bill is largely impacted by external markets.
Reyhan Rosado
“When the global food prices are skyrocketing, a great example, like during the Ukraine war, when prices just saw a huge increase – our food bill – the food prices that we were paying also went up significantly just across the board.”
Belize’s economy is rooted in agriculture, with most of our exports being farm produce. Despite this, we still bring in a lot of processed meats from abroad. But there’s good news. Thanks to recent investments in two major poultry processing plants, Belizeans can now buy locally produced poultry. Plus, we’ve achieved self-sufficiency in soybean concentrate, which is a key ingredient in animal feed. It’s a great step forward for our local agriculture.
(Belize Self-Sufficient in Processed Meats & Soybean Production)
Hugh O’Brien
“The two main poultry processing plants in Belize have both made significant investments, both of them in 2024 and they have moved towards producing now poultry – chicken bologna, chicken ham, turkey ham, and so you’ll have different types of chicken sausages that they have on the market. And for the last three years, Belize has been self-sufficient in the soybean that we no longer import soybean concentrate from abroad and that is now being processed locally into animal feed.”
While these investments are not expected to make a significant dent in our overall imports bill, they are expected to show reductions in these categories. For Belize to transition from a country with a trade deficit to a country with a trade surplus, we need a complete shift of our mindset. O’Brien believes it has to do with how we are educated.
(Shifting from Trade Deficit Country Requires a Mindset Shift)
Hugh O’Brien
“We are not cultured, educated, or trained even to be scientists. We are trained to be employees. We are trained to be tour guides and so forth now, and yes, we are trained to do some farming, but we do not have any institution in Belize – we do not have any polytechnic institution, not even helping in terms of how best to make concrete better, in terms of building homes. So, with that kind of background, there has to be a major mindset shift that begins with creating an institution within Belize, a model institution that starts to produce.”
Diana Castillo said that the S.I.B. will begin to do more in-depth analysis this year, particularly on what drives consumer confidence, which is an indicator of how people feel about their spending power. Notably, on a scale of one to a hundred, in February, consumer confidence was below fifty. Marion Ali for News Five.
Commission of Inquiry Report on the Sugar Industry has been handed over to Prime Minister John Briceño. The commission was set up to tackle two main issues: resolving the ongoing conflicts between Belize Sugar Industries and the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association and making recommendations to improve the overall sugar industry. Today, we spoke with Lead Coordinator Hugh O’Brien, who mentioned that while the parties are still reviewing the two-hundred-page document, he highlighted the main points of contention. He noted that the Prime Minister has agreed to share the report with the key stakeholders, including the four cane farmers associations, B.S.I., and Santander. O’Brien described the process as intense but said the report contains some solid recommendations. He shared the main points that justified the inquiry.
Hugh O’Brien, Lead Coordinator, Commission of Inquiry
“One of them is the stevedoring cost, the port charges, if I can use that. That was settled to a large extent – my involvement of having compared the two ports and I provided a very detailed report on the costings. The second one is a manufacturing allowance, which is one-fifty Belize per ton for local white sugar, and it’s one-sixty per ton for direct consumption sugars that are exported to Caribbean countries and to Europe and the B.S.C.F.A. in particular has questioned those charges. And so the request, was that a breakdown of how you arrive at those charges or what’s the cost to produce the sugar and to get it to that point – white sugar for the local market, DC sugar for the regional and international market. So that there could have been a verification if the cost that B.S.I. was saying is that what they’re charging is correct or if the charge was too high for that matter to help in coming to a better agreement between the parties – between the B.S.C.F.A. in particular and B.S.I. And then there was also the matter of ocean freight, bagging and those charges as well, because even though those are small, they’re smaller cost, and then there’s ocean freight. So those are the four main groups of charges. One is the port charges, which has been addressed, like I said by my report. Two, the manufacturing allowance, three, the bagging and local handling cost – getting the product from the factory to the port. And then fourth was the ocean freight. Those are the four charges that cause for us to have protests and discontent in the industry. And since those are costs that are deductible from the value of the sugar that is exported, it in the sense then determines how much remains to be shared between the farmers and B.S.I. when those deductions are made.”
The Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) has issued a public call for dialogue with Prime Minister John Briceño and key government officials to address urgent concerns in the sugar industry.
In a press release, the BSCFA said that their concerns extend beyond personal grievances. The association expressed apprehension about the alignment of government policies with multinational interests, which they believe could have far-reaching implications at the parliamentary level.
The BSCFA stressed the importance of open national dialogue, ensuring that all voices—including farmers—are heard in discussions about the industry’s future.
To facilitate this discussion, the BSCFA has invited Prime Minister Briceño, Minister of Agriculture José Abelardo Mai, and Minister of State for Economic Development Osmond Martinez to a meeting. The proposed session, set for Friday, April 4, 2025, aims to address unresolved issues and chart a path forward for the sugar industry.
The Corozal Sugar Cane Producers Association (CSCPA) has extended its congratulations to Prime Minister John Briceño and the People’s United Party (PUP) on their recent electoral victory. In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, the CSCPA expressed its commitment to collaborating with the government and other stakeholders to advance the sugar industry.
The CSCPA praised the Prime Minister’s decision to oversee the sugar industry portfolio. The association stressed the importance of investor confidence and strategic development to enhance economic gains for all involved.
Recognising the complexity of the sugar sector, the CSCPA called for a collaborative approach involving investors, millers, farmers, government ministries, and financial institutions. The association urged the government to revisit and adapt the strategic development plan introduced in previous years, focusing on improved milling efficiency and sustainable farming practices.
The sugar industry, previously overseen by Minister of Agriculture Jose Abelardo Mai, is now under Prime Minister John Briceño’s leadership, with Dr. Osmond Martinez appointed as Minister of State for daily operations. While A.S.R./B.S.I. supports the change, the BSCFA opposes it, alleging the decision was influenced by an emergency meeting with ASR Group, which owns Belize’s only sugar mill. The association called the move ‘alarming,’ questioning its implications for Cabinet decisions.
Among the standout changes Prime Minister John Briceño made when he started his second term was taking charge of the sugar industry himself. Under the previous P.U.P. administration, this sector was managed by the Minister of Agriculture, Jose Abelardo Mai. Now, the PM has taken the reins and appointed Doctor Osmond Martinez as the Minister of State to handle the day-to-day operations. This move seems logical to some, given the recent challenges faced by the sugar industry. While A.S.R./B.S.I. views the PM’s decision positively, the BSCFA is not on board. They were so concerned that they sent a letter to the PM, expressing their dissatisfaction. The association claimed the decision was influenced by an emergency meeting with the ASR Group, a multinational corporation that owns the only sugar mill in northern Belize. They called the move ‘alarming,’ questioning how addressing ASR’s concerns could impact Cabinet portfolio assignments. Ironically, ASR Group officials have previously labeled any government support to farmers as political interference in the sugar industry. Today, we heard perspectives from both sides.
Alfredo Ortega
Alfredo Ortega, Chairman, Committee of Management, B.S.C.F.A
“It entails a lot of economics within the sugar industry, but it’s not only the economics of it. It also entails the daily living of the farmers and their families. So there are many things that it entails within not only the economic side, but also the social side of it, the livelihood of everyone involved in the sugar industry. So we are not against Martinez having that position. What we are looking for is that anyone that is placed in charge within the sugar industry looks forward to transforming the sugar industry into something much better than it is or it was. The recent interview that the prime minister had on Open Your Eyes, I believe where he said that he had to travel to Miami to speak with the A.S.R. group of people. That is where some of the situation arises because we don’t know what compromise he went to give there.”
Marion Ali
“Have you as an association reached out to the Prime Minister to ask him for a meeting to discuss what came out of that meeting that he spoke about then?
Alfredo Ortega
“ We haven’t sent him a letter before because we didn’t know there would be changes in regards to the portfolio of sugar industry until recently when he announced that, so it took us by surprise. But yes, we are working towards that because even though we send that letter to him, we are saying that we would have preferred Mr. Mai to continue as the Minister of sugar. Nevertheless, we have to respect that decision that he put and yes, we are looking forward to inviting him and Dr. Osmond Martinez to have a meeting with them and to see what is their plan.”
Shawn Chavarria
Shawn Chavarria, Director of Finance, B.S.I.
“We see it very positive. It’s in a way a welcomed approach because for us, it highlights that at the highest level of government, they see the sugar industry as critical and for us, we take that positively that, you know, the Prime Minister is saying, look, we see as the government, the importance of the sugar industry and the need to try to improve. I think everybody in Belize knows that the industry is struggling. We are struggling because of climate change. We do have commercial issues that continue to bog down the industry, and so the Prime Minister is saying, well, look, we want to bring a lot more focus to this and try to see how we could try to move the industry forward. He has appointed a working group, which we are participating in that is being led by Dr. Marcelino Avila. And already that working group is coming up with some good ideas and suggestions, which we hope can be taken forward. So from that standpoint, we welcome it, and we look forward to working with the Prime Minister and Minister Martinez to see how we could try to move this industry forward.”
Earlier this month, the mill at Tower Hill finally resumed processing sugarcane after a two-week delay caused by relentless rains and mud-caked cane. Although the quality of the cane has improved somewhat, industry insiders are worried that there might not be enough time to match the output of previous years before the crop season ends in June. This shortfall could lead to significant revenue losses. News Five’s Marion Ali has the full story.
Marion Ali, Reporting
After a two-and-a-half-week break in milling operations at the Tower Hill factory, work finally resumed on March 4th, putting an end to a significant disruption in the sugarcane processing routine. The delay was largely due to bad weather. Now that milling is back on track, the quality of the cane being processed has improved a bit, according to B.S.I.’s Industrial Operations Manager, Stephen Usher. It’s almost back to what it was in recent years.
Stephen Usher
Stephen Usher, Industrial Operations Manager, B.S.I.
“We normally look for purities above 81. We were getting an average of the mid-seventies, which was low. The purity basically tells us how much sugar we can extract out of the cane, and also though, it basically is a guideline for extraction process. So, since the restart, we have seen improvements in cane quality purities. The mud percent cane coming in before that stop, we were averaging 10%. So, every ton of cane that we brought in, you know, 10% of that was mud. We are now back to normalcy where it’s three to 4%. To give you an example, we are normally closer to 48, 49,000 tons of cane for the week. Last week we did 46, 000 tons of cane.”
Alfredo Ortega, Chairman of the Committee of Management with the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association, explained that the weather was just one of the factors slowing down the cane farmers’ production. Parasites were another major issue.
Alfredo Ortega
Alfredo Ortega, Chairman, Committee of Management, B.S.C.F.A.
“One of the problems that we are facing right now that we’re seeing that has not improved the quality of the cane as we want it to be, is because of the pest infestation and the fusarium that was discovered last year in the month of October and November. Now that we are harvesting, we are seeing the problems that the fusarium has caused to many of those cane fields where the infestation has happened.”
Shawn Chavarria, B.S.I.’s Director of Finance, revealed that the mill has produced significantly less cane compared to the same period last crop. This shortfall is bound to lead to major revenue losses, as the industry will struggle to make up for the lost time.
Shawn Chavarria
Shawn Chavarria, Director of Finance, B.S.I.
“If you compare how much we’ve milled the date of 386,000 metric tons, last year at the same time, we had already milled 501,000 metric tons. There’s still ground for us to make up, but as Stephen mentioned, we’re seeing much lower mod levels, which is good for milling, but the quality still has quite a bit of room to catch up and we don’t think it’ll catch up. If the weather allows, we think we can get in all the cane, but we have to wait and see. And that’s why right now it is really important for the whole farming community and the mill to work together along with the support of S.C.P.C. to make sure that we are maximizing keen deliveries while the weather is good because we don’t know what the situation will be like come June.”
While the potential losses are expected to be quite significant, there’s no estimate yet of the exact amount. Ortega pointed out that the two districts are facing different challenges, which play a big role in this situation.
Alfredo Ortega
“Our farmers are spread up between Orange Walk and Corozal and we are in different areas, so the situation and the problems are different in different areas that we are experiencing. So based on the deliveries of cane, that is how we are seeing all the percentage of loss is coming on board in regards to quality. in regards to yields, in regards to growth, we are seeing those effects now. So at this point in time, we’re unable to give a number on what is the projected loss for this crop.”
The sugar crop is expected to close in June. Marion Ali for News Five.
In a recent interview, the PM mentioned that the B.S.C.F.A. is hesitant to sign the Fair Trade letter of enhancement. He pointed out that this reluctance is causing cane farmers in the association to miss out on potential benefits. Today, Ortega explained that there are valid reasons for not signing the letter. One major concern is that it restricts them from taking certain actions, like communicating with the government or voicing their concerns.
Alfredo Ortega
Alfredo Ortega, Chairman, Committee of Management, B.S.C.F.A.
“I wouldn’t say it’s just a crazy refusal from our side, but in regards to what itentails, and we have sent this information to the Prime Minister. He’s not ignorant to it. We have sent to him all the information that we have gathered from Tate and Lyle on which they are forcing us to sign a letter of enhancement, where it is blocking us from many things that once we sign, we are unable to do, to which we say no. We cannot go in that way. We, as a certified organization, under the fair trade, the standard doesn’t speak for a letter of enhancement to be signed with Tate and Lyle. There are criteria in the standard that we comply with and we have not signed the letter of enhancement because of the points that it has that block us from not speaking to our leaders in government, that we should not do certain things, that we should not be speaking out whenever there issues that we are not happy with or we don’t agree. So that is why.”
On Tuesday, during his appearance on Open Your Eyes, Prime Minister John Briceño announced that the sugar industry has been moved from the Ministry of Agriculture to the Office of the Prime Minister. The industry has been plagued by rising tensions between sugar producer associations and the A.S.R./B.S.I. sugar mill. In recent years, the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association and BSI have struggled to agree on a long-term commercial agreement. In 2024, Minister of Agriculture Jose Mai launched a commission of inquiry to modernize the sugar industry. According to PM Briceño, the owners and managers of A.S.R., the parent company of the sugar mill, called an emergency meeting to discuss their concerns, which he attended. As a result, his office has taken control of the industry from Mai and his ministry.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“We have to continue working with the industries, agriculture for instance. I had to do an emergency trip to meet the owners and managers of ASR because they have some serious concerns with Belize and the way the sugar industry was being managed and the challenges they were facing. I think we managed to have something there. So now sugar is directly under me and I asked Dr. Martinez as the minister of State in Economic Development to look after it on a day to day basis.”
