Temporary Relocation of the Ministry of Agriculture Policy Unit

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security & Enterprise would like to inform the public that the Policy Unit under the department of Agriculture has been temporary relocated to H.M Queen Elizabeth the Second Boulevard at the Ministry of Natural Resources building in Belmopan. The Unit can be contacted at phone number 828-5096 or 822-2241.

Minister Mai travels to Mérida, Mexico signs technical Cooperation Agreements

Minister of Agriculture travelled to Mérida to sign agreements between INIFAP and the Central Farm Research, Development, and Innovation Department. This MOU included the signing of agreements with SADER which came after a series of high-level meetings between Minister Mai and Mexico’s Agriculture Secretary Dr. Víctor Manuel Villalobos Arámbula in July and more recently with Ingeniera Lourdes Cruz, Coordinator for International Affairs in the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) during the State Visit made by the Prime Minister John Briceño to Mexico.

The agreement with INIFAP was to get support for in vitro production of coconut seedlings, support for pitahaya and soursop as well sign technical cooperation agreement with the Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán (CICY) in Mérida, Yucatán, for agriculture technicians to train at INIFAP in Mexico.

The agreements between Belize and Mexico include scientific investigation and genetic improvement of fruit trees and livestock. These fruit trees include pitahaya (dragon fruit), coconut, pineapple, lime, and oranges as priority commodities.  Overall the MOU with SADER includes areas of cooperation in capacity building, training, research, and the facilitation of trade. Under that falls the component of SENASICA and BAHA.

2021 World Food Day Celebrated Virtually 

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization today virtually celebrated World Food Day at the Yo Creek Agriculture Station in the Orange Walk District.

This year’s World Food Day was celebrated under the theme ‘Our Actions are our future ─ better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life.’ The theme raises awareness of the need for supporting the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agri-food systems.

In his remarks, Hon. Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture, stated that the mandate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise of Belize is to continue the endeavor to improve security, quality, and affordability of food in a sustainable manner that will take into consideration the conservation of the environment. To do so there is need for the continuous strengthening of collaboration with partners in development to be able to reach out to rural and urban areas, prioritizing the most vulnerable.

Present at the event were Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño and H.E. Rossana Briceño, Special Envoy for the Development of Families and Children. In her remarks, Mrs. Briceño challenged all to join in the fight against malnutrition and to take bolder steps in that direction. Prime Minister Briceño also spoke about the problems of malnutrition and food insecurity, mentioning some of the steps taken by government to deal with these problems, such as the Parliamentary Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition, and the focus of several ministries to ensure problems with access to proper nutrition are eradicated. Prime Minister Briceño said that with proper harnessing of resources, Belize should be able to eliminate food distribution problems that affect school-aged children.

One of the other highlights of the event was the recognition of Minister Mai as a Food Hero, for the steps he has taken to ensure food security and scarcity and malnutrition are mitigated.

The day ended with a tour of different booths featuring agricultural displays and products from different sectors in agriculture.

MATCHING GRANT FUND AGREEMENT – SIGNING CEREMONY

The Government of Belize (GOB), with financing of BZ$40 Million from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF), has embarked on a six-year Programme, Resilient Rural Belize (RRB), which aims to minimize the impacts of climatic and economic events on small farmers while supporting sustainable market access for their produce.

The Programme Management Unit (PMU), acting through the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment (Lead Programme Agency) and working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise, has overall responsibility for programme implementation, including the administration and implementation of the Programme’s Matching Grant Fund (MGF), the main objective of which is to support the achievement of the Programme’s objectives by co-financing investments that would improve, in volume and quality, small farmer agricultural production and safeguard food security in the context of existing and projected climate change effects. Working with Producers’ Organizations, the Programme will provide support for the development of a business plan, which shall identify proposed investments, including technical assistance and capacity building, aimed at achieving the above objectives, and which shall be used as the basis for accessing support from the Matching Grant Fund (MGF).

On Monday, July 5, 2021, the Government of Belize and the Valley of Peace Farmers Association Holdings Limited has signed an Agreement, which will allow for the provision of support to the Association by the Government of Belize through the Programme’s Matching Grant Fund for investments identified in the second business plan to have been prepared and approved under the Programme. These investments include the construction of a climate resilient office, packing and storage center with equipment, irrigation equipment (water pump, water tanks, PVC piping, hoses & sprinklers) construction of climate smart seedling nursery with equipment and the provision of technical assistance and capacity building geared toward improving governance, administration, financial operations and marketing; introducing climate smart agricultural techniques; and improving production scheduling, planning and product quality.

Valley of Peace Farmers Association Holdings Limited registered as an Association has been engaged with the RRB programme and the Department of Co-operative over the past two years and to date many of the members have been trained on numerous topics by the Department of Co-operative. The Association is based in Valley of Peace, Cayo District, and produce a variety of vegetables. They believe that they have a competitive advantage with cabbage, lettuce and onions, and thus the business proposal concentrates on improving capacity and market opportunities of these crops. The total numbers of beneficiaries to be positively affected by the proposed investment is estimated at 185 persons, including 28 women and 80 youths.

Belize Celebrates International Day of Cooperatives  

Belmopan. July 2, 2021.

The International Day of Cooperatives was celebrated today in San Carlos Village, Orange Walk District under the theme “Rebuild Better Together”. Celebrated annually on the first Saturday in July, the day is observed each year at different locales where cooperatives are active to build awareness. Present for the occasion were Servulo Baeza, CEO in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise, and Gareth Murillo, registrar of cooperatives.

In his remarks, CEO Baeza spoke of the work that cooperatives do in organizing small farmers and ensuring their participation in economic activity that helps the economy recover. CEO Baeza also highlighted the important role of cooperatives in helping to organize at the grassroots level and supporting people and communities as their work helps with the eradication of poverty. He further noted that government has prioritized agriculture in the national economic recovery process.

The day included raffles for members of the cooperatives, messages from international partners and talks from members of the local cooperatives.