Cattle Export Ceremony
Members of Cabinet including Prime Minister Briceño today attended a cattle export ceremony held at KaKabix corral in Shipyard, Orange Walk District. A total of 266 head of cattle were exported today as Mexican meat company SUKARNE sent 3 semi-trailers to move the cattle to Michoacan, Mexico.
The event was witnessed today by Prime Minister John Briceño; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration Eamon Courtenay; Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise Jose Abelardo Mai; Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Chris Coye; and various officials from organizations and government departments such as Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, Chairman of the Belize Livestock Producers Association Jeffery Reimer and members of his Board, Chairman Henry Anderson of the Development Finance Corporation and members of the management team, and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture.
In their remarks both Minister Courtenay and Prime Minister Briceño spoke about the economic rebound the country has been undergoing and the role agriculture has played in that recovery. They also spoke highly of Minister Mai and his team in leading that effort. Both also referred to the role of the livestock sector in the economy and the significance of the regularization of trade with Mexico. Minister Mai for his part also emphasized that the industry brings jobs to hundreds of small holder livestock farmers throughout the country and that the industry brought in more than 49 million dollars in economic contributions to the country last year.
After the ceremony the entourage were taken on a tour of Mr. Wall’s second corral in Shipyard. Cattle exports to Mexico are expected to regularize on a weekly basis throughout the rest of the year as both Belize and Mexico continue strides towards working out favorable agreements that will enable cattle from all over Belize to be exported to Mexico, and issues such as tariffs and other restrictions are addressed.
Pictures of the event can be seen Below: