Ten days ago we told you about the onion situation - where local farmers can't sell their onions, and they're blaming the Belize Marketing and Development Corporation as the local onions rot.
And, at the same time, the BMDC - which imported onions from Holland - also had those onions in storage, rotting, in an effort to protect the local farmer.
In the end, both sides lost onions and money. Today we saw that first hand as the BMDC was forced to discard 957 sacks of onions that it had stored at its warehouse in Orange Walk town.
It was an ugly sight: not only because what was once valuable food was being wasted, but also because the onions were hideously rotten - and the place reeked!.
Managing Director of the BMDC Roque Mai told us it pains him too:…
Roque Mai, Managing Director of the BMDC
"They are already disposing the onions and we are going to get rid of them, we throw them at the municipality and the town council as well as the garbage dumps. With this in mind doing this - it's a pity, we are losing about 46,500 pounds of onions which is valued at $35,000 Belize dollars. Today is a very big hit to the cooperation losing that kind of money and the farmers are losing as well but when you look at it hopeful next week we won't hear the cries again that BMDC is the cause for the farmers that can't sell their produce. It's a pity all those onions we are destroying, it's quite not healthy in this environment because we were holding on to it and now we are destroying it."
Jules Vasquez
"It's a terrible waste as well."
Roque Mai, Managing Director of the BMDC
"It's a terrible waste Jules, a lot of Belizeans could have consume this product but the truth is that I sympathize with the farmers."
Jules Vasquez
"But at the same time Mr. Mai you are only destroying 2,000 sacks; you had another 3,000 sacks which you did sell on the market."
Roque Mai, Managing Director of the BMDC
"It's not selling, it's moving slowly, if the shops request more we would deliver. It's going slow and every day that goes by they are spoiling."
Jules Vasquez
"If I were the Chairman of the board of directors I would say this is your fault. This is your loss Mr. Mai. You've manage to import incompetently and so we have to throw away tens of thousands of dollars' worth of onions."
Roque Mai, Managing Director of the BMDC
"It's not my fault; I wouldn't take that Jules as what you are saying. We are human beings, we do errors and we didn't think that that would have happen. On one part we are looking at a loss but really the truth is that we could have sold this, we could have push it but it would have cause more chaos to the farmers. We choose not to do that. This could have been sold out. We could have driven to all the villages and shops and sell it, but we choose to hold it back to give way for the farmers to sell their produce. The early harvest in January affected us, if they would have at least waited until mid- February we wouldn't have been in this trouble. Everything could have been consumed because these 65,000 pounds of onion in one container which is 1,300 bags - that is consume in less than a week."
There are another nine hundred plus sacks stored in Cayo and it's likely that those will also have to be thrown away.
And while the debacle of wastage and over-production should teach everyone a lesson, Mai also had a few cautionary tales for consumers - who he says should refrain from buying those pink onions:
Roque Mai, Managing Director of the BMDC
"I would like to advise Belizeans as well that if they see the mauve color onions - those are contraband onion, and also the white onions as well. Some farmers do plant white onions but not much to be consume by the entire country. In San Ignacio we have white onions and that comes from Mexico, those are contraband. Most farmers plant yellow onions. Mauve or red onions are contraband, you can find it at the market and the price is very high and also one other thing I would like to advise the public is that the price on onion should be at $0.75 per pound. i understand they are selling at the market for $1 - $1.50. That's a rip off. Looking at it it is very ridiculous Jules. If you pay $1.50 for a pound of onion you are getting chance, you are getting highway robbery."
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