And as the Lunar New Year dawned Belize's Cabinet was meeting in regular session. There were a number of items on the agenda, most notably the mid term Report from the Economic Recovery Advisory Team. That report was discussed and nine ministerial working groups were established to review the recommendations and advise on implementation at Cabinet's end of month meeting.
Also up for discussion the re-establishment of the National Trade Negotiating Commission (NTNC) which will comprise of representatives from the private sector, civil society and government. This comission will serve as a forum between the public and private sectors. It will also act in a host of capacities where trade policy issues are concerned.
Cabinet also gave its approval for a review of the Belize Education Sector Reform Project II, a loan project between the Government and the Caribbean Development Bank that provides funding for projects that enhance the learning environment for primary and secondary school students. It's utility has come under question due to the current pa demic situation.
Cabinet also supported a request by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration that the outdated and obsolete passport system be replaced with a new and modern e-passport system, including biometric data which will be more secure and allow for greater efficiency.
finally, As a result of market contraction, the local dairy industry contracted by 53 percent in January 2021. To this end, Cabinet gave its support to set up a working committee to include local producers of dairy products to seek ways to create the environment necessary to foster the growth of a competitive dairy sector and to find ways to make better use of the excess milk in the market.
