The Cayo District Agriculture Department in collaboration with the Cooperative Department assisted the Bullet Tree Seventh Day Adventist School and the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic School in Bullet Tree Falls Village with their school garden.

Both schools received seeds and seedlings that included: cucumber, coriander, radish, habanero pepper, jalapeño, cabbages and tomatoes.

The cultivated crops will be used in the school feeding program and will focus on the promotion of a healthy lifestyle for the children by giving them a better idea of the concept ‘From farm to table.

Special thanks go out to the Santa Familia Grains, Vegetables and Legumes Co-operative for lending their rototiller to do the land preparation for the school, as well as Extension Officer Mr. Franklin Padron for assisting in the land preparation.

Representatives from the poultry importing companies in Jamaica met with Government Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise, Foreign Trade and the Belize Agriculture Health Authority to discuss Jamaica’s interest in buying poultry products from Belize.

Jamaica’s interest stems due to the rising prices of poultry across the globe forcing importing countries to source from other markets.

The project which is being executed by the Ministry of Agriculture is supported by the ROC Taiwan Technical Mission through its ICDF program. The project will primarily focus on certification of various active processors who dedicate a large portion of resources into value added products.

Through this project 30 participants will be attending a 2-week training session. The training session will focus on certifying and equipping participants with the necessary knowledge to transport their existing product to the next level.

Attending the event was Minister Jose Abelardo Mai, H.E. Lily Li-Wen Hsu Ambassador of Taiwan in Belize, H.E. Amalia Mai C.E.O. of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration, Dr. Victoriano Pascual Chief Agriculture Officer and other Invited Guests.

The Belize Marketing and Development Corporation (BMDC) officially launched its new rice brand, Big Falls Rice and Big Falls Milpa Rice.

The official launching ceremony was held on March 17, 2023, in a ceremony where Hon. Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture Food Security and Enterprise, Hon. Oscar Requeña, Minister of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Local Government & Labour, and Hon. Michael Espat, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development & Investment, gave remarks and spoke about the importance of the rice mill for the local farmers, the benefits for the Belizean people of having the mill under operation and how important preserving the milpa tradition of harvesting rice is for the people of the Toledo District. After the ceremony there was a sampling of the new brand to highlight the quality of the rice.

Also present for the ceremony were CEO in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise, Servulo Baeza, personnel from BMDC and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise as well as representatives from other ministries and other invited guests.

The new rice brand offers Belizeans quality premium rice at a low cost, while its production ensures a secure livelihood for the rice farmers of Toledo as well as the preservation of the cultural traditions in Toledo of harvesting milpa rice.

BMDC is a statutory body falling under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise, and serves primarily as the Ministry’s marketing arm for Belizean products.

The training focuses on making infused honey products, candles from bee wax and mead(honey wine). A second session will be held tomorrow at apiaries and will focus on best beekeeping management and best manufacturing practices.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise has partnered with the World Food Program to support the recovery of livelihoods of smallholder farmers directly impacted by Hurricane Lisa on November 2022, with direct cash and voucher assistance.

The assistance will be made using a digital solution where farmers will be able to purchase agricultural inputs through MAFSE-accredited merchants. Funding for the assistance has been received from the Government of Italy and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Charities.

After the passage of Hurricane Lisa in November 2022, the National Damage and Needs Assessment (DANA) indicated that approximately 93 rural communities were affected. The areas mostly affected include some of the primary crops production zones of Belize, Cayo and Orange Walk Districts. A small number of farmers were also affected in the Corozal and Stann Creek District.

The assistance to the smallholder farmers is very critical to the recovery of the agriculture sector within the affected areas. Through this assistance the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise and the World Food Program will assist 727 smallholder farmers. The assistance will be provided through a digital platform using Digiwallet as the local mobile money service provider. The assistance is broken down into two components; with the first being a 700 BZD redeemable voucher that farmers can use to purchase agricultural inputs and small equipment’s at approved merchants. The second is a 300 BZD unconditional cash which farmers can use to purchase at any Digiwallet approved store or withdraw/redeem cash.

These supports are all aligned with the Plan Belize Policy where small farmers will receive support in implementing Climate Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture that will increase food production and adoption to climate smart, green agriculture. Apart from the support to farmers the Ministry of Agriculture also received 40 tablets that will be used to collect farmer information on the Belize Agriculture Information Management System (BAIMS).

Present at the event was Minister Jose Abelardo Mai, Chief Executive Officer Mr. Servulo Baeza, World Food Program (WFP) Representative & Country Director, Multi-Country Office, Mr. Regis Chapman, Mr. Daniel Hernandez from the Church of Latter Day Saint and other invited guest.