Almost $1 billion industry: Belize agriculture keeps growing

By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): The Ministry of Agriculture held its Annual General Meeting in Dangriga this morning, taking stock of a sector that feeds the country and anchors its economy, and confronting the money problem at its heart. The session at the Russell “Chiste” Garcia Auditorium reviewed the sector’s contribution to the economy, its achievements over the past year, and the challenges facing farmers and producers. Minister of Agriculture Rodwell Ferguson said agriculture currently accounts for approximately fifteen percent of Belize’s gross domestic product, and expressed hope of seeing that contribution increase significantly through greater production, investment and market development. The sector he wants to grow is already on a run. Agriculture’s contribution to the economy has expanded from $560.8 million in 2020 to $889.7 million in 2025, an increase of 58.6 percent in five years, with 5.7 percent growth in 2025 alone. Cattle exports reached $77 million and are projected to approach $90 million this year, bananas earned $91 million, and the US$20 million Caribbean Sugar Refinery, the region’s first, is set to open near Belmopan later this year. The minister was equally candid about the constraint. Farmers continue to seek assistance with production costs, climate-related losses and other pressures, and Ferguson acknowledged the financial challenges confronting government, discussing the difficulty of providing subsidies to an industry with competing needs and limited public resources. Even recent support has been targeted rather than universal: $1.5 million in fertilizer for citrus farmers over 18 months, with another $1 million committed this year. The AGM’s picture is one every farming family will recognize: a sector growing fast, asked to grow faster, while the support behind it is stretched thin. The post Almost $1 billion industry: Belize agriculture keeps growing appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.