For the past 2 weeks, we've been telling you about the carrot farmers in San Carlos, Orange Walk. They've been complaining that they have close to 10 acres of carrots which were rotting in the fields because the market is saturated with imported Mexican carrots.
Those farmers condemned the Government authorities for continuing to grant permits to importers to bring in Mexican carrots. They said if the Government canceled permits, they would be able to sell their carrots.
The GOB agencies heard them, and promised to take action to mitigate the continued loss of investment. It appears that since then, BAHA authorities have been cancelling permits for imported vegetables, which has created a different problem.
The vegetable vendors say that because imported vegetables are being stopped from entering the country, they have a shortage, are seeing higher prices, and have very little to sell to the consumers. Today at the Michael Finnegan one vendor from Belize City spoke with us about their difficulties off camera:
Voice of: Vegetable Vendor - Claims Vegetable Shortage
"I don't understand why the man in charge who signed the license will move the license from the person who already had license for carrots, celery and cabbage. They said they moved the license because there is a lot of the local things but first thing that I will tell you; the carrots, they don't bring much. The cabbage, they don't have either and do you know how much it costs? A hundred and thirty for sack and the sack only brings ninety pounds. So you are paying one change. How much will you sell it for? The celery, they said they don't have celery. They removed the license for that but there's no celery. If you walk through the market you cannot find lettuce. You barely find lettuce. So I want to talk to the person or the government, he has to understand. We understand they will take off the license but someone has to come see who is in charge has to come see what is in the market so they could move the things."
Reporter
"Tell me about the person the guy from BAHA that is scratching off.... Explain that story there for me."
Vegetable Vendor - Claims Vegetable Shortage
"Well, I don't understand. It looked like they have people who is supposed to bring in carrots, cabbage, celery, and lettuce for Monday this Monday here, but when the people reach at the border. They said the BAHA scratch their licenses and they can't bring in things because the minister who signed the license said they can't bring it. Ok we understand that but there is not a thing in the market. So how the people are going to buy things if they don't have things."
We'll have more on this story tomorrow.
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