Yesterday, we showed you the latest figures from the Statistical Institute of Belize which provided a snapshot of the country's gross domestic product and external trade for the first 7 months of this year.
Tonight, we have a little more from yesterday's press conference in which Statistician Melvin Perez provided a detailed report on the consumer price index. That's a measure of just how the increased cost of living and inflation impacted the pandemic weary public.
According to the SIB, the cumulative inflation rate for the first seven months in 2021 was at 2.2%, when compared to the same time period last year:
Melvin Perez - Statistician II, SIB
"The cumulative inflation rate for the first 7 months of the year 2021, when compared to the same period in 2020, stood at 2.2%. This means that the average costs of regularly purchased goods and services by 2.2% for the period. Before we look at the major categories affecting the cumulative inflation rate of 2.2%, let's look at the national consumer price index, which summarized all categories of goods and services for the past 5 years, with our main emphasis being the first 7 months of the year 2021, we can see how prices started to increase since January up to July of 2021. I must say that these increases were mainly due to higher prices for butane, fuel, and food. Looking at the same period in 2020, we can see how prices increased and decreased throughout this 7-month period, which is why, when compared to the same period in 2021, cumulative inflation of 2.2% is reported. This indicates that the increases throughout this 7-month period were sufficient to offset the decreases in the various categories which we will see throughout the presentation. Looking at the trend line, it is clearly showing us how prices have been increasing since July of 2016, up to July of 2021. Now, coming back to our main point of interest, we have a closer look at what contributed to the cumulative inflation rate of 2.2%. Looking at the major categories affecting the cumulative inflation, first, we have the food and non-alcoholic beverage category, which went up by 4.6%. Now, I must say that this is the main category exerting upward pressure on the overall cumulative inflation rate, followed by the transport category which went up by 5.8%. Then we had the housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels category which also went up by 1.1%. Then we had the personal care, social protection, and miscellaneous goods and services, which increased by 1.7%, while restaurants and accommodation services had a decrease of 7.6%"
Here now is a closer look at the 2 categories of the goods and services, used by you the members of the public, which affected that inflation rate the most:
Melvin Perez
"Let's look at the food and non-alcoholic beverages category, which had an increase of 4.6%. This change reflected higher prices across most groups within the food sub-category, which recorded a cumulative inflation rate of 5.3%. The most striking increase was seen among the meats products, which went up by 3.8%, and fresh vegetables, which went up by 11.6%. Items that saw a market price increase for the period were pigtails, rice, natural milk, red kidney beans, pineapples, orange, onions, lime, and potatoes. These items saw an increase of more than 10% for the period."
Counting The Days To Census
Yesterday's press conference allowed the media to get an update on when the next Census will take place to find out the size of the country's population. You'll remember how it was scheduled for last year, but it had to be postponed because the COVID-19 pandemic had finally arrived in Belize. Today, the Acting Director-General of the Statistical Institute said that it is planned for May next year:
Diana Castillo-Trejo - Acting Director-General, SIB
"As you said, we did receive the go-ahead from last week's Cabinet meeting. We got the go-ahead to proceed with the preparations to conduct the Census in May of next year. So, we will very shortly, at the beginning of September, be re-launching the recruitment campaign. As you know, we have a large number of field staff that we need to recruit. So, it's a month's long recruitment process. That is going to be launched at the beginning of September, and at the same time, we will restart our public awareness activities. So, from there, we have pretty much a packed schedule in terms of Census preparations. We'll recruit, and we'll start training early next year. We have 3 rounds of training, and that leads us directly to the start of data collection in May. We are - as part of our recruitment, we will have to give preference to persons who apply who have already been vaccinated, of course, because these persons are the ones who will have the most face-to-face contact with households. And we will make every effort to follow all guidelines provided by the Ministry of Health and Wellness in terms of making that data collection process as safe as possible."
New Way To Access Licenses and Permits
Belize's government services made another progressive step toward digitization today when the Belize Electronic License and Permit System was launched in Belmopan.
It's a soft launch, but this system will allow citizens and companies to apply and pay for their import and export licenses and permits online. The plan is that the processes will all be done digitally and online. Next, all the government departments that must give their input on these applications will be able to do so through the system, which reduces run-around time and delays.
Next, by linking BELAPS to Belize's Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA), the Belize Government can monitor import/export activities, and collect market and trade data in a more efficient manner.
And, the system was created through the cooperation between the Governments of Taiwan and Belize in the field of Information and Communication Technology.
Here's what the Minister of E-Governance told the Government Press Office today about how the project will improve efficiency and reduce bottlenecks with this important government service:
The Bilateral Cooperation between Belize and Taiwan has resulted in other digitization milestones, such as the inauguration of the National ICT Centre, which is currently hosted by the Central Information Technology Office (CITO), and the Belize Motor Vehicle Registration and License System.
Belize Gives a Hand to Haiti
Last week Wednesday, we told you about the Belize Red Cross' appeal to Belizeans for donations for Haiti - devastated by a earthquake and a tropical storm in succession.
Well, the Government of Belize has stepped up through the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), in support of humanitarian assistance efforts. A release says The Government of Belize has made a contribution of BZ$200,000 to the Government and people of Haiti
GOB says, quote, "This donation to Haiti is an expression of the solidarity of the Government and people of Belize."
Covid Cases Climbing
Belizeans are breathing a mild sigh of relief tonight at the news that there are no new Covid deaths.
Still, the numbers continue to rise with tonight's new confirmed cases standing at 100. The majority of tonight's cases, 30 of them, are found in Belize City.
Total active cases stand at 991 with 12 people actively hospitalized and three of them admitted to the Covid ICU.
