Of course, the President saying it and the infamous Mexican bureaucracy effecting are two very different things - and Belize will now have to press to get those changes effected on the ground.
But, the Belize Livestock Producers Association is already celebrating this major milestone.
In a press release, they said quote, "The announcement by the Mexican President will contribute significantly to the development of the cattle industry in Belize and further consolidates the ability of local cattle farmers to maximize their revenues from the growing cattle trade with our friendly neighbor, Mexico, especially since we now have two major export outlets for our cattle, Guatemala and Mexico." End quote.
We asked the PM about that, and he took a short victory lap on all the work that his government and the Ministry of Agriculture are doing to improve the profit margins for Belize's cattle ranchers:
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Well, already since we took over in government, we have exported over 40,000 heads of cattle, most of it into Guatemala, but now going into Mexico. Since, Sukarne have started to buy cattle from us, the price that the Guatemalans are paying us have gone up. At one time it was a low as $1.25 per pound, now they are paying over two dollars a pound. That makes it profitable for our farmers and also what was important when I mentioned to the Mexican President, I said most of ou cattle ranchers have about 50 heads of cattle or less, so again, he saw that as a great opportunity that it is not 4-5 huge cattle ranchers that are selling the cattle, but we have hundreds of small cattle ranchers selling. So, it has been a game changer, but now the hard work. We have to now meet with the technical people and to continue grind them until we can put this into action."
At the end of their press release, the Belize Livestock Producers says, "Since November 2020, Belize has exported over 40,000 heads of cattle, valued at over BZ$55 million. Most of these cattle went to Guatemala, but a growing number (approximately 2,800) was formally exported to Mexico. So far in 2022, five shipments, totaling 1,442 heads of cattle and valued at BZ $1.725 million in revenues, have been exported to Mexico."
