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.