El Niño Deepens Crisis in Cane Fields Up North

Belize’s cane farmers are fighting problems on several fronts. Unpredictable weather, a fusarium outbreak and emerging mealybug infestations are threatening production, while limited access to affordable financing prevents many farmers from modernizing. With El Niño adding even more uncertainty, Minister of Economic Transformation Dr. Osmond Martinez says the industry must urgently improve productivity and find new ways for farmers to earn.

 

Dr. Osmond Martinez, Minister of Economic Transformation

“The uncertainties that it has created with the weather patterns is unique because the forecast was for drought. However, it has been a mix weather patterns where you see drought and you see rain. But I think in addition to the climate patterns, the sugar industry is suffering of more than that. So for example, last year we had the fusarium, which to a certain extent, we as a government, and we must give credit to the Prime Minister who gave his full support, and he went on to cabinet and he got some additional finance to enable to arrest the fusarium. And we have managed to do that successfully to a certain extent, you know. I won’t say that it’s one hundred percent out, but now we have mealybug, you know, and then we don’t know what next year will comes with. So in addition to El Niño, we have other additional problems, and some of the problems lies because of access to affordable finance to cane farmers who weren’t able for many years. And this is an issue maybe in the twenty thirty years. Issues related not being able to invest in replanting the cane fields, putting proper drainage, irrigation system, improving their way of, the methodology of, how they practice agriculture. So for example using a mechanized system to both do the planting and harvesting. That is to a certain extent, not a huge percentage of the industries hasn’t been able to move into that mechanized system.”

 

Martinez said efforts are underway to modernize the sector, including exploring carbon credit opportunities to generate additional revenue.

 

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.

 

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