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.