Ferguson: El Niño Could Last Until August 2027, Irrigation Is the Key

Forecasters say this could be the strongest El Niño since records began in 1950, and Belize has been drier than usual for most of the year. Agriculture Minister Rodwell Ferguson says El Niño could last until August 2027, and that the best protection for farmers is proper irrigation. We asked him what’s being done about it. Here is what he told us.

 

Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Agriculture
“The El Niño should last until August 2027. Fortunately for Belize, at this point in time, we are in the middle of some rains and we hope this can continue easily until about January or February of 2027. Again, the issue is a matter of proper irrigation systems. As the president of the Central American Agriculture Council, they’re also planning for the entire region. And so hopefully we have put a proposal together. If we find funding in every country within the Central American region, so we get some assistance, we can make sure we put a better irrigation system in place, to make sure we are able to wait for it to pass through Central America.”

 

Paul Lopez

“Has Cabinet made any commitments for investments?”

 

Rodwell Ferguson
“Cabinet has so many requests. If we take it step by step, eventually we can accomplish what we want to do at the Cabinet level. As many times, we are a small economy, so many things need to be done.”

 

Reporter

“What are farmers saying? Are meetings being held so they can prepare?”

 

Rodwell Ferguson
“The biggest preparation would be to irrigate all the farms as much as possible. So we are asking farmers to make sure they have a water pump within their farm, and that they properly clean it, so they can at least sustain their water for a period of time. We are hopeful for the best as we go through this year.”

 

Ferguson did not say whether Cabinet has approved any money for irrigation. He says the regional proposal depends on finding funding in each Central American country.

 

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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