Last week you heard all about the situation with the farmers of San Carlos, Orange Walk, and their carrots. Close to 10 acres of carrots are rotting in the fields because the market is saturated with imported Mexican carrots. The Ministry of Agriculture sent out a statement on Friday saying that they'll try to come up with a solution to a problem - which is affected by both import permits and the contraband trade. But on Saturday the area representative for the farmers told us that it's all double-talk: the solution is starting the ministry in the face; he says it's import permits given to well-connected political friends:
Jules Vasquez
"So you are saying the solution is staring them in the face?"
Hon. Jose Mai - OW South Representative
"It's right there they can do it with a stroke of a pen. Jules it's only how much thousand pounds of carrots, it's so little only 6 acres. 
It's only 15 thousand pounds per acre that's little carrots. All they can do is hold up the permits, but the permits in advance. They give it today but it expires in 15 days' time. if they know that the carrots is going to be harvested in 2 weeks times, then just cut down the amount of days that they give on the permit. It's just a matter of them doing it. The will that's all."
The ministry says it has to issue import permits for fresh vegetables because Belize does not have adequate year round production. Imported and local vegetables most often clash at the start and end of harvest.
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