300 tonnes of wheat arrived in Belize from Guatemala this afternoon and by tomorrow morning, Belize’s bakers should be supplied with flour. A representative of ADM Belize Mills has confirmed that the flour will be sold to the bakers at the same special discounted price – for the time being. So will the controlled price of bread still go up by 50 cents? Well, the Bakers Association is still clamouring for it. But when we spoke to the Prime Minister this morning, he didn’t know of any request for a price increase from the bakers. In fact, as far as he’s been informed, the price of wheat is going down worldwide.
Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
“Nobody told me, certainly up to this point in time that there is any request for an increase in price.”
Jules Vasquez,
The Bakers Association is demanding 50 cents.
Hon. Dean Barrow,
“Well I was not made aware of that yesterday. I thank you for telling me, we’ll have to deal with that.”
Jules Vasquez,
Are you inclined to grant that?
Hon. Dean Barrow,
“I am inclined to look at it. I am inclined to understand and recognize that there are external circumstances that we must take account of but I am also inclined to point out that I saw several international reports indicating that the price of wheat has gone down from the high that we saw in February, something like thirty odd to forty percent. So we will have to look at the entire panorama before any decision is made.”
Figures provided to us from ADM Belize Mills today disputes the Prime Minister’s information. It is weekly price report from the U.S. Wheat Associates and it shows the price of hard red wheat, the type used in Belize, as being stable and projected to go up by the end of the year. Whatever the case, there is clearly a gulf between the executive and the bakers…so meeting will have to be held. But right now government is pretty much through meeting with Belize Food Supply that markets rice produced by Mennonites in the north.
