Ministry of Agriculture Officials Tour Orange Walk Production and Processing Facilities

Senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and New Growth Industries are spending two days in northern Belize assessing agricultural production and processing operations across the Orange Walk District.  Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and New Growth Industries, Rodwell Ferguson, along with Minister of State Alex Balona, today began a tour of several key productive areas and agro-processing facilities aimed at strengthening engagement with producers and evaluating the sector’s ongoing growth and development.  The ministers were joined by Orange Walk South Area Representative, Jose Abelardo Mai, as well as senior ministry officials.  The tour’s first day included visits to the Soybean Factory in Blue Creek and the Hilltop Prime Meats processing plant, where officials met with stakeholders and reviewed operations. The delegation also visited the Caribbean Chicken processing plant in Blue Creek, one of the country’s major poultry processing facilities.  In the afternoon, the team traveled to Indian Creek where they toured a papaya processing facility and visited fields currently under production.  The ministry says the visits form part of ongoing efforts to maintain close collaboration with producers, processors and investors throughout the agricultural value chain while identifying opportunities to further strengthen productivity, food security and export potential.  The tour is scheduled to continue tomorrow with visits to the Caribbean International Brewery flour plant and several agricultural production sites in Shipyard.  Officials say the field visits provide an opportunity for government representatives to observe first-hand the progress being made within the agricultural sector and to discuss challenges and opportunities directly with farmers and industry stakeholders.