Agriculture industry stakeholders met today in Belmopan for a national
consultation on the extension service. Today’s consultation was the final
phase of an assessment of the supply and demand aspects of the extension services
in Belize. The emphasis was on the needs and demands of the agro-productive
sector. CEO in the Ministry of Agriculture Gabino Canto told the Government
Press Office that the consultation was all inclusive.
Gabino Canto, CEO Ministry of Agriculture
“The extension service in Belize has been a one sided activity carried
out by the Ministry of Agriculture in the past. We have seen changes in the
agriculture sector and fisheries that required the participation of other people
who are doing the same thing. So we’re bringing people together to come
up with a comprehensive plan to provide extension service to all the stakeholders
in the agro-productive sector in agriculture and fisheries.”
Ricardo Thompson, Coordinator of Extension – MOA
“The extension service for the Ministry is located in each district
and they are responsible to carry out the programs and policies and operational
plans of the Ministry. But more recently, maybe the past four or five years
ago we have seen the trend where the environment is actually becoming even more
challenging. Last year we had the effects of climate change, we had the rising
cost of inputs, we had difficulties with marketing, the external shocks that
are being felt here, especially among our agro-productive sector. Now it is
actually being said that to be able to overcome or at least to have a better
opportunity to overcome these difficulties is to collaborate. We can no longer
work in isolation and this particular initiative endeavours to do that.”
Gabino Canto,
“Basically we want to have a comprehensive plan that we can implement
in order to achieve some of the policies and goals of the Ministry which we
are currently revising and within the next month or so we will have a policy
document with the strategies for the next five to ten years and the long term
policy where we are heading to in agricultural development.”
Ricardo Thompson,
“These recommendations that are there are actually from Belize Sugar
Industry. We have representation from the Belize Agro-Productive Sector, we
have from the Belize Livestock Association, we have representation from the
University of Belize for they also train extension officers to go in to the
field. And then we have a number of farmers who represent small farmer associations
like for example the Orange Walk Agricultural Producers Association. We have
the Toledo Cacao Growers Association and obviously we have our own extension
service. We have extension service like the Sustainable Harvesting International
who also are there and listening to what is being presented and validate what
were the findings and make any additional inputs that may be required before
the project is finalized. The project is going to be finalized and submitted
for funding by FAO so we are very optimistic that in the very near future, before
the ending of the year possibly, that project is going to come on stream.”
The assessment was recommended by FAO - the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Email
Print