Cattle Industry Could Overtake Sugar as Belize’s Top Export Earner

Belize’s cattle industry is growing rapidly and could soon surpass sugar as the country’s leading foreign exchange earner, according to Belarmino Esquivel, Principal Agriculture Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture and head of the livestock programme.

“We can no longer rely on just three major commodities that bring in foreign exchange…that being citrus, bananas and sugar,” Esquivel said, pointing to climate change, disease outbreaks and declining productivity that continue to threaten Belize’s traditional export crops.

“[Cattle farming] may potentially surpass sugar foreign exchange earnings in 2026,” Esquivel said, stating that cattle farming is now emerging as a strong alternative. 

Belize’s national cattle herd has grown dramatically over the past decade. “In 2014, we had about 77,000 head of cattle. In 2015, that figure has grown up to 215,000 animals, and the trend is going up and up,” Esquivel said.

Demand from neighbouring countries is driving that growth, particularly exports to Guatemala and Mexico. 

In 2024 alone, Belize exported more than 35,000 head of cattle to Guatemala, generating between BZ$50 and 60 million, while an additional 6,000 heads shipped to Mexico.

Unlike other export commodities dominated by large estates, the cattle industry is largely in the hands of small farmers. “Seventy percent of cattle farmers have between one and 50 head,” Esquivel explained.

He further urged farmers to take advantage of affordable financing through programmes like CRESAP, Sembrando Vida, and SAIB, which offer affordable loans and matching grants.

“Access to affordable financing had been before a major issue, probably no longer,” he said. “Please remember that the matching grant portion is 60/40… this is a golden opportunity for us to invest.” Under the matching grant system, farmers can access funding for climate-smart investments with reduced upfront costs.

With domestic consumption at about 10,000 cattle annually and exports continuing to grow, Esquivel believes livestock could soon become Belize’s top agricultural income earner.