Ministry of Agriculture Production Statistics 2022 Validation Meeting.

Ministry of Agriculture Production Statistics 2022 Validation Meeting.
On March 10th 2022, Agriculture Producers and Stakeholders met with Technical personnel from the Ministry of Agriculture, SIB and Central Bank to review the performance of Agriculture Production 2021 and gather production projection information for 2022. The meeting was being held at the National Agriculture and Trade Show Conference Room.

Minister of Agriculture Meets with Taiwanese Deputy Minister of Agriculture 

Minister of Agriculture Meets with Taiwanese Deputy Minister of Agriculture 
Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise Jose Abelardo Mai was on a state visit to the Republic of China (Taiwan). On the 9th of March he held bilateral talks with Taiwanese Deputy Minister of Agriculture Tian Shou-Chen.
Minister Mai was a part of the delegation joining Prime Minister John Briceño and First Lady Rossana Briceño in Taiwan.

Food Preparation and Food Safety Training

Food Preparation and Food Safety Training
A two day training session on Food Preparation and Food Safety was facilitated for the Northern primary school cooks involved in the AMEXCID/CARICOM/FAO School Feeding Project.
The first day’s training was attended by personnel from St. Peter Anglican School and Guinea Grass Roman Catholic School. Safe steps in food handling, cooking, and storage are essential in preventing foodborne illness. Adequate food safety knowledge for cooks participating in the feeding program is vital for positive food safety practice and adequate health procedures to be followed.
The second day training was attended  Chan Chen Government School and San Joaquin Roman Catholic School cooks.

Queen bee rearing Workshop

Queen bee rearing Workshop
On 11th of March  2022, the Orange Walk department hosted a one day workshop on Queen bee rearing for Bee keepers from Orange Walk and Corozal district.
The workshop was facilitated by Extension Officer Mr. Miguel Huertas and Mr. Federico Chi. Other personnel from the Ministry of Agriculture attending the workshop were Mr. Jesse Madrid and Mr. Francis Vega Cooperative Officer.

Belize City Go Green

Belize City Go Green
The Belize City Council has embarked on an Urban Gardening Project, and recently Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise Jose Abelardo Mai and Mayor Bernard Wagner sat down to discuss the elements of the project. During the meeting, the Minister reiterated his and his Ministry’s commitment to support such initiatives and we are happy to note, in this vein, the City Council’s first greenhouse having been erected on Police Street Extension in Belize City.
Kudos to Mayor Wagner and his team for the foresight and polic y perspicacity of setting up what we hope will be the first of many other gardening hotspots in the city. Kudos also to Gary Ramirez and his team from MAFSE that are providing the technical assistance in setting up the covered structure and seedling planting and growing know-how.
Let’s go green in our urban spaces…save money and eat healthy as we Plant, Grow and Build Belize.

Training for Orange Walk Beekeepers on Finances and Record keeping

May 3, 2022:
The Orange Walk Co-operatives Department today hosted a one-day training session for Orange Walk Beekeepers. The event was hosted at the Yo Creek Agriculture Station in the Orange Walk District.
The training, which focused on finances and record keeping, was facilitated by Inspector of Cooperative Records Mr. Hector Torres.
The Orange Walk Beekeepers were formed in 2016 and is made up of 25 active members. This workshop is the last training session being hosted for the group, which now will qualify to be registered as a new Cooperative.

Sheep Management Field Day

Sheep Management Field Day
The Taiwan ICDF Breeding Sheep and Goat Production and Guidance System Enhancement Project (Sheep Project Phase II) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise (MAFSE) held a “Sheep Management Field Day” at the farm of Mr. Benito Vasquez in Paraiso Village in the Corozal District on Wednesday 2nd March, 2022.
The field day was held with 15 sheep and goat farmers, Extension Officers, and other interested parties from the Corozal District. The field day included demonstrations in: i) Feeding Management; ii) Sheep barn management; iii) Breed demonstration; iv) Record keeping and v) Meat cuts preparation. Mr. Benito Vasquez is a well- respected sheep farmer and demonstrated his skills and abilities during the event.
The field day is a part of the Sheep Project Second Phase’s commitment to have farmers teaching farmers. The Sheep Project Second Phase includes a budget of US$3,000,000 for a four year implementation that was signed and agreed to in March 2020 with objectives to be achieved including, among others, to continue to assist Belizean farmers to further improve the quality of their sheep and goats, to conduct a market study and value chain analysis to promote consumption and market penetration for sheep and goat products, and to strengthen the sheep and goat traceability system to improve value chain efficiencies.
During the closing remarks, Project Specialist Mr. Eason Huang reaffirmed the commitment of the Breeding Sheep and Goat Production and Guidance System Enhancement Project to continue supporting the farmers of Belize through theoretical and practical trainings and educational outreach.

Cold Storage Unit Training

Cold Storage Unit Training
The Agriculture Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise along with the Cooperatives Department and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), were in San Carlos offer training in cold storage facility usage. This training follows the acquisition of cold storage units by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise through JICA for farmers in productive zones in Belize. Farmers from San Carlos will be able to benefit from the use of one of the cold storage units when installed.
The group also visited existing storage facilities in nearby Indian Creek, a Mennonite community located next to San Carlos.
The training will also be given to farmers in Cayo, Belize and Corozal, where the first storage facilities will be installed, with a view to assist in the post-harvest management of cash crops like onions and potatoes.

Aquaculture workshop

Aquaculture workshop held at Tilapia Hatchery Center at Central Farm

An aquaculture workshop was held Yesterday at the Tilapia Hatchery Center at Central Farm, Cayo District.

Two aquaculture experts from CEFAS, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, an agency under the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in the UK, conducted the workshop. CEFAS seeks national and international networking in areas of aquaculture and marine science, and are in Belize to help examine how Belize can deal with issues related to development and future planning in aquaculture, fisheries and food security.

They are part of a UK delegation that is in country holding a series of workshops, meetings and seminars to assist in sectors like agriculture, mariculture, aquaculture and the environment. The UK Delegation are in Belize to launch the Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) funded under the UK’s Blue Planet Fund (BPF) in Belize. They will continue to hold workshops and meetings tomorrow and Wednesday as the linkages to establish projects beneficial to Belize are explored.

Several participants from local shrimp farms and seaweed farms participated virtually in the workshop along with the participants from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise and the Tilapia Hatchery Center who were physically at the workshop.

Handing Over of 800 Small Hive Beetle Traps

Handing Over of 800 Small Hive Beetle Traps
The Ministry of Agriculture Food Security & Enterprise received today a donation of 800 small hive beetle traps from the International Regional Organization for Agricultural Health (OIRSA).
The traps donated were purchased from Australia and have a total valued of $3,637.00 USD. The handing over was made by Country Representative Mr. Fermin Blanco and was received by the Minister of Agriculture Hon. Jose Abelardo Mai. This donation will assist bee farmers who are being affected by this Pest.
The small hive beetle, Aethina tumida, is a scavenger and parasite of honey bee colonies. The beetle is native to Africa, but was introduced to Belize in (2016) mainly by commercial movement of bees. Both adult and larval beetles feed on larvae, pollen, honey and bee broods. The adult female lays her eggs in the hive. The larvae hatch and feed on broods, pollen and honey, then leave the hive to pupate in the soil, where the adults hatch, then fly to look for new hives.