Jules also asked Mai about the other new development in the agriculture sector: the informal trade of cattle across the border. While it may seem to all the world like the state is sanctioning the selling of contraband to another country, he admits that formal trade arrangements need to be put in place. And he says this is in the pipeline - and will include trade into Mexico.
Jules Vasquez "Minister, you have been one of the representatives and Cabinet members really making things happen, from your very first day in office you said let the cattle go through and this has been a great boom for the cattle industry of Belize, a great boom for the economy of Belize, but at the same time it is contraband. You are encouraging or sanctioning the sale of contraband into another country."
Hon. Jose Mai - Minister of Agriculture "Jules, when it leaves the country, it is export. When it comes in uncustomed and unnoticed, it is contraband. Nevertheless."
Jules Vasquez "But it's going there as contraband, Minister."
Hon. Jose Mai "That is their problem then. We will look at Belize, at our problem, that's their problem. But nevertheless Jules I don't think there should be much rejoicing about that. We are working hard to try to re-establish the formal market. I think the former CEO at the Ministry of Agriculture used to say you cannot build an industry off informal markets. I think he's right. And we have to work towards re-establishing that formal market into Guatemala and into Mexico, which is what we're doing now. As a matter of fact, Minister Courtenay is on top of that at this time. One of the main barrier of trading cattle to Mexico is the high cost."
Jules Vasquez "All the permits, etc."
Hon. Jose Mai "The permits, the quarantining, whenever you quarantine an animal, it loses weight and the veterinarians that would come from Belmopan to check it and then there are trips for the officials of Mexico coming into Belize. All that add to the cost and I think one of the worse concerns is the issue of the tariff that you have to pay. I think you pay of 15% tariff on cattle going to Mexico. Again as we're speaking here tonight, Minister Courtenay and his team are working on establishing that partial scope agreement with Mexico."
BAHA's PCR Tests - Pure Palabras
And while the the cattle industry has the greenlight to continue trading through the front door or the back, it seems that BAHA was given the red light when it comes to testing for COVID.
As you may recall, Dr Marvin Manzanero was placed on administrative leave because he was accused of not utilizing the lab to ease the load of COVID cases during the height of the pandemic.
But did the PUP put that lab to use when they came into office? Well, even Minister Mai wasn't sure - or at least that's what he
Hon. Jose Mai - Minister of Agriculture "The had a lab which we had offered to the Ministry of Health but I think the Ministry of Health eventually said, we noh need BAHA, you know, we could do it on our own. Of course, after we had Minister Chebat taking over the Ministry of Health."
Jules Vasquez "So, they did not end up using the BAHA lab for the COVID test?"
Hon. Jose Mai "I don't know if they did but if they want to, it's available."
Jules Vasquez "It sounds like they didn't and you don't want to say."
Hon. Jose Mai "I didn't, honestly"
Jules Vasquez "But you are the BAHA man, minister."
Hon. Jose Mai "No no no, look, BAHA are big enough to manage their labs. If they said, we are ready to use it, it's ready to use. We have competent people at BAHA."
Jules Vasquez "You've been saying it for years."
Hon. Jose Mai "Yeah, it was badly managed and that has been corrected."
Meatpies Can Save The Free Zone? Really?
And while the lab might not have helped to save the country from COVID, can meat pies save the free zone? Sounds kinda silly, but that's the suggestion the minister gave. He told us last night that the Corozal Free Zone could use some diversification and added that Dario's could help that happen.
Hon. Jose Mai - Minister of Agriculture "There was a study done by I think IDB, there was a study on how to transform the Corozal Free Zone and we have been speaking about this for a very long time, looking at ways and means to diversify activities. It cannot be one shoe, one slippers, it cannot be that, it has to be different. So, we are again having a group that's working on how to diversify the free zone. Let me give you an example. I had a dear friend who passed, Elijah Alamilla, Come and Dine Restaurant, and this guy was an extremely intelligent guy. So one day he said to me, you see this woman just left from here, Suburban, three Surburbans, Mexican Suburbans, they stop and used the bathroom and I asked them, what you come to do? And they said, we are from Cancun and we have these locations where they rent and do parties, weddings. They said and people come from America to marry in Cancun and we cater for them and their big weddings, ad so what you come to do here? They said, but the people love meatpies. They come to buy Darios meatpies. And they take it to Cancun for these weddings. Because you have never seen a meatpie in Mexico. (laughs) And I said to myself, but why we can't get Darios in the free one to make meatpies and sell it to the Mexicans? Small things, Jules but they create an impact."
Smuggled Items Busted Coming Out Of Zone
But it's not MEATPIES that the free zone is most famous for; to put it bluntly, that zone is most well-known for goods smuggled in and out, including cigarettes sent through to Mexico.
And, on Tuesday night, law enforcement intercepted a large shipment of a variety of contraband cargo behind the zone - heading out - supposedly to Mexico in canoes. But, we have not been able to get any comment from the Coast Guard or to find out anything from customs about what happened to the cargo. And reports say the matter was quietly handled and that the goods may have even ended up back in the zone. This is not confirmed, but in the absence of any official information, it has to be considered a possibility.
Man Claims Police Brutalized Him
Turning now to news of police brutality.
One Belize City resident is fighting for his dignity after enduring what he claims were two bouts of police brutality.
It all started with Jason Phillips's arrest in Conch Shell Bay. Here's how he tells it:
Phillps says he has tried and failed to make reports to the Professional Standards Branch. He feels his only remedy now is to make an appeal to the Ombudsman.
Beach Footballers To Costa Rica
Tonight, the footballers who have been selected to represent Belize as part of the Beach Soccer National Team are making their final preparations to travel to Costa Rica. That's where the 2021 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship tournament will be held.
Belize is one of 11 participating teams which also include the Bahamas, host country Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, and the USA.
This tournament will run from May 17th to the 23rd, and Team Belize will participate in it for the fourth time. This afternoon, in a Zoom press conference, the Football Federation introduced the entire team. Here's what they had to say about the state of their readiness for this tournament:
In order to get ready for this tournament, the team trained in complete isolation at the FFB headquarters on a newly-constructed beach soccer pitch.
Drugs Destroyed in Corozal
Cops up North carried out a major "years -in -the -making" drug destruction this morning.
It was comprised mainly of 332 pounds of Cannabis, and negligible amounts of cocaine, and crack cocaine.
Deputy commander of the Corozal police formation Dennis Lopez talked to the government press office:
Lopez also told us that despite the pandemic drugs continue to pass through Belize's northern border and his jurisdiction.
