43 beekeepers from the Stann Creek and Toledo Districts attended a one-day beekeeping training session on value added products from beekeeping, through collaborative efforts between Ya’axche Conservation Trust, the Caribbean Development Fund and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise.
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.
A group of 17 Belizean technicians are in Tabasco, Mexico, on a 3-day training program in coconut cultivation. The training is offered by INIFAP, the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agricolas y Pecuarias (National Institute for Forestry, Livestock and Agricultural Research) of Mexico. While in Tabasco the team will visit several farms and do practical work in studying coconut diseases such as lethal yellowing, red ring disease and black beetle infestation. They will also do DNA extraction training and laboratory work in coconut disease and pest analysis.
The objective of the training is to prepare Belizean coconut technicians in identifying coconut pests and diseases in the field and laboratory. The training comes as part of the bilateral agreement between Belize and Mexico in cooperation in agriculture. Mexican experts in areas such as soybean, soursop and coconut cultivation have also come to Belize to offer training as a part of this agreement.
The Belizean group comprises technicians from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise, CARDI, SIRDI, BAHA, and from private farms.
The Belize Bus Owners Cooperative Society, Ltd, held its Annual General Meeting in Benque Viejo Del Carmen Town. Members approved the audited financial statements of 2021 and 2022. The members approved 6% of dividends on members’ shareholding, something that has not been observed for a decade and a half. Elections of 4 persons to complete 7 members of the committee of management were held. Mr Robert Staine is now the chairman of the society and replaces Mr Javier Vasquez. The new committee mandate is to introduce innovation and technology within society as the new transportation modernization strategy commences in the country of Belize.
A total of 120 farmers from the Cayo District attended a one-day workshop at Central Farm on the Cultivation of Soursop. The training comes through the Sustainable Development of Resilient Value Chains – Implementation of CARICOM COVID-19 Agri-food Recovery Plan” Project, signed back in October of 2020.
This Agri-food Recovery Plan is a regional project involving Belize, Dominica, Guyana and St. Lucia with objectives of strengthening the technical, tacit and process capability of ministry staff to select and develop high potential national value chains and also to focus on one selected value chain per country.
Facilitator for the training is Dr. Abel Reboucas, an agronomist from Brazil who holds a doctorate from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil in Tropical Fruits with concentration in citrus, mangos, passion fruit, soursop, papaya, avocado and coconut.
The workshop will also be held in Orange Walk, Toledo and Stann Creek. The training will comprise of both theory and practical aspects of Soursop Cultivation.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise launched the National Dairy Strategic Plan 2022 – 2026. The strategy highlights the priorities that need to be addressed to improve the dairy sector, by making it more, productive, competitive, profitable, and sustainable.
The interventions included in the strategy aim to put the dairy industry on a growth path of 5% per year while improving productivity and building climate resilience. It aims at promoting better organization of the sector, improving the quality and shelf life of the dairy products, and supporting a tax structure that foster the farm to table approach of PlantBelize and the mantra of producing more of what we consume and consuming more of what we produce.
The Ministry of Agriculture, in partnership with the private sector is confronting the prevailing challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to create a more enabling environment to achieve the desired results of the National Dairy Strategic Plan.
The industry aims to improve quality, increase production, sustainability and profitability through innovative policy and regulatory decisions, availability of relevant information, technology adaptation, adoption of innovations and dissemination.
One main point of the transformational agenda for the dairy sector will be access to the necessary capital for investment in infrastructure and technology to produce a high-quality dairy product. This will allow for the industry, supported by an appropriate policy and regulatory environment, to secure greater local market share and reduce dependency on imported dairy products.
The National Dairy Strategic Plan 2022 – 2026 is the result of a public-private partnership between the Government and the dairy farmers of Belize.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) hosted a Stakeholder Validation Workshop on the Soursop Industry Upgrade Strategy.
This event is an activity under a regional project “Sustainable Development of Resilient Value Chains – Implementation of CARICOM COVID-19 Agri-Food Recovery Plan” that includes Belize, Dominica, Guyana, St. Lucia with a value of US$400,000.00.
The regional project aims to address gaps, tactics and process capability of government institution to implement and guide value chain development efforts, applicable for all agriculture sectors. The project as well aims in improving the capacity of the public sector agencies to assess value chain potential, devise and implement tailored upgrading strategies, engage effectively with private sector actors (farmers, processors, exporters) and align agendas behind a common market-orientated vision of strengthening key agricultural value chains.
The event which was held virtual and face to face was facilitated by FAO International Value Chain Consultant Ms. Bree Romuld and Agribusiness Specialist Mr. Omardath Maharaj.
Three experts from the Ocean Country Partnership Program are currently in Belize providing a one-day technical workshop for officers of the Ministry of Agriculture Aquaculture Unit on the development of skills and expertise needed to adopt sustainable aquaculture food safety practices and risk analysis in fish disease.
The Ocean Country Partnership Programme supports countries to strengthen marine science expertise, develop science-based policy and management tools, as well as create educational resources for coastal communities.
Attending the workshop were personnel from the Belize Agriculture Health Authority and Students from the University of Belize.
