Last week we showed you how the farmers in San Carlos are preparing a bumper crop of potatoes - and hope they don't get squeezed out of the local market by imports and contraband. Well, the Ministry of Agriculture heard their cry and convened a meeting today in Belmopan with farmers and importers.
The idea was to determine how many pounds of potatoes will be harvested and when, so that the Ministry can know how to manage the local supply to avoid shortages.
Potato Producers representing small, medium and large farms from all across the country attended. First off, they verified production figures: the Cayo District has the highest production with a total of 2.8 million pounds, followed by Corozal with half a million pounds, and Orange Walk with a quarter million pounds. With Stann creek producing another 45,000 pounds, the total estimated domestic production for this year is 3.7 million pounds, with harvests starting in the first week of February.
With this information, the Ministry of Agriculture has decided to close off all import licenses for potato. This position will stand until local production has been fully expended. With this farmers shouldn't have any potatoes rotting in the field like they did last year.
Of course, contraband remains an unpredictable variable - and it's often a driver of prices that disadvantage local farmers.
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