While Minister Mai is trying to flood the market with local dairy products, he's also trying to get rid of the cattle. Since the PUP was elected, the informal cattle trade through western Belize to Guatemala has resumed, and with gusto - and the country also began exporting the cattle to Mexico.
It's become a major revenue earner, not just for the government, but for the farmers who desperately needed the revenue. And, according to a triumphalist Jose Mai, it's long overdue.
Hon. Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture
"In the month of November 2020, beginning on the 12th, Belize exported two thousand and twenty seven head of beef cattle to Guatemala. December, madam speaker, we exported a further three thousand two hundred and ninety four head of beef cattle and in January, we have exported 1,947 heads of beef cattle. And in addition to Mexico, 606 animals were exported. Since we were elected to office, madam speaker, on November 2020, in less than two months, 7,874 beef cattle were exported from this country generating $7,086,601.32. in less than two months, madam speaker, farmers have gotten desperately needed relief. Farmers have again managed to reemploy their workers, families have income to feed themselves, no longer madam speaker, no cattle farm is being advertised in the newspapers for sale, madam speaker and the country has earned valuable foreign exchange. This is how the PUP under the leadership of the prime minister John Briceno, operates. And we still have approximately 35,000 head of beef cattle to export before the dry weather come in, that's a value of 50 million dollars, madam speaker, this plus the $7,086,601.32 is the amount of foreign exchange that the cattle industry was to generate in 2020 if the UDP had not stopped the exportation."
The first exportation of cattle to Mexico was under the UDP government in September 2020, and then under the PUP admin in December. Minister Mai explained that they plan on building on this foundation.
