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The north is the hardest hit and we went back to Orange Walk South today where the losses are still mounting. Jules Vasquez reports:..

Jules Vasquez reporting
This is a field that looked bad four weeks ago - but now it is dead - limp, lifeless and that sickly yellow that is synonymous with death in agriculture. We did find a few dried, dwarfed and useless corn cobs, nothing more - a complete write off acres upon acres wasted the sun leeching out the last life from these crops the stalks still reaching up hopelessly to the rainless sky all, told, an expanse of ruin and loss.

Max Hernandez, San Carlos Community
"In San Carlos, we have 35 years. This year is the first that there is no rain. Every farmer small farmer, even the Mennonites lose all the crops."

Max Hernandez has worked this land as a vegetable farmer for more than three decades, and his fields - this one for carrot - are outfitted with irrigation pipes. But, in this drought year, the irrigation trickle is more than before.

Max Hernandez, San Carlos Community
"When the rains come, in the week maybe we have like 500 gallons an hour. Right now maybe we spends like 800 gallons an hour."

More gallons means more fuel - which translates into higher production costs:

Jules Vasquez
"So the having this irrigation system saves you from the drought, but it drives up your cost of production?"

Max Hernandez, San Carlos Community
"Yes. Right now we spend more money to buy fuel and the cost of production goes up."

Which ultimately ends up costing you:

Max Hernandez, San Carlos Community
"Right now we sell carrots for about 80 cents a pound. If the dry season continues, we will sell for one dollar per pound to recuperate the fuel expenses."

Fuel expenses are the least of the concern for John Knelsen - his problems are much deeper and more expensive:

John Knelsen, Farmer
"We have 650 acres of corn that have lost complete and 170 acres of soy beans that we have lost completely also. The corn is about $620 per acre and the soy beans is $650 per acre."

Mike Rudon, Ch5
"We were talking earlier and you said basically you had to borrow to get this crop going."

John Knelsen, Farmer
"Yes, we lost about $450,000. We don't know how to get the money back to plant next time."

Max Hernandez, San Carlos Community
"When I produce, I feed the people of Belize. Especially the corn, beans, pigs, beef, eggs, chickens, even processing milk if the Mennonite doesn't have."

Hon. Jose Mai, OW South Representative
"The cost of corn obviously will go up. In this country as I've said before 80%-90% of the corn is used for animal feed. So it is clear that the price of poultry will go up. The price of pork meat will go up. The price of our tacos will go up and of course eggs. Eggs are already 3 for one dollar. I don't know how much it will be now. But people don't understand the rippling effect it will have."

KNELSEN has got hundreds of acres of corn crushed by the sun starved of nutrients and flattened as he surveys an arid and brown landscape.

John Knelsen, Farmer
"I have 25 years that I have farmed here and but it wasn't until 2012 and 1997 - but I have not lost completely."

It shouldn't be that bad, after all, he's got an elaborate irrigation rig - but can't get it to work because he's dug two wells hundreds of feet into the earth and they are both dry or insufficient to provide enough irrigation:

John Knelsen, Farmer
"We make wells. I have 6 already, it only produced 300 gallons per minute. We need 1600 gallons per minute. The next step will be to find out if we can make a well in the savannas one mile from here and then we have to put the irrigation pipes all over here for one mile and then we will see if that will work."

It will be thousands of dollars for just the pipes - but with the financial hole he's in, he just has to keep digging:

John Knelsen, Farmer
"If we have the money to start once again, and if we get water and we have that ready, I think the next season could be different."

Jules Vasquez
"You still have hope?"

John Knelsen, Farmer
"We have to hope all the time."

And on these parched and waterless lands - it seems hope is the only that springs eternal. And for that they are turning to government:

John Knelsen, Farmer
"We think if the government could help with something... to lend us some money from the DFC or somewhere, so we will see what that will do."

Mike Rudon, Ch5
"If that doesnt happen, you have any other options at this point?"

John Knelsen, Farmer
"We have options. We can borrow at the credit union, but the interest is at a higher rate. We are looking for a lower rate and so probably they can help us."

Hon. Jose Mai, OW South Representative
"We already heard the farmers. I cannot expect the Prime Minister to go into his pocket and take out money and give to the farmers. That's not what we are expecting, but there must be something in place that will help the farmers to alleviate the situation. Now what is government planning? We have heard nothing from them since this story aired a month and a half ago. We've heard nothing from them."

In an article in today's Guardian Newspaper, CEO in the Ministry of Agriculture Jose Alpuche is quoted as saying that DFC is contemplating the possibility of interest forgiveness for drought-affected farmers. The Ministry will also be looking at making seed money available for replanting. In the longer term, Alpuche told the UDP's party organ that his Ministry is looking at water management in the north, including the implementation of irrigation infrastructure to harness water resources from rain as well as rivers while minimizing the use of groundwater reservoirs.