Most have heard of the Belize Marketing Development Company, known more commonly as the Belize Marketing Board. It's their job to sell and market local agricultural products acquired chiefly from small local producers who cannot access the market on their own. But tonight 7NEWS has obtained information which suggests that the Marketing Board has grossly violated its mandate, the laws of Belize and the policy of government.
That evidence came this afternoon when the Customs Department raided a warehouse located on the Yo-Creek Road in Orange Walk Town where they believe large volumes of contraband rice is being stored. According to our reports, Customs officers found bags of Mexican rice in the warehouse and have launched a confiscation operation. That means taking charge of securing the building and confiscating its contents. Despite numerous attempts to reach Comptroller of Customs Greg Gibson, we were unable to get any comment from his department.
We did speak with CEO of the BMDC Sergio Garcia. He confirmed that the Customs Department has indeed halted the operations at the warehouse. He says that if there are Mexican bags of rice in there, its what the BMDC bought from the very same Customs Department after Customs confiscated it as contraband. And apart from the 40 to 50 bags they buy from Customs every month, Garcia says the rice in the warehouse is all Belizean rice from Punta Gorda. He explained that the BMDC distributes sugar from Orange Walk and in order to cut costs, every time they pick up sugar, they also take rice into Orange Walk.
He added that the reason for the targeting of the warehouse may be as a result of local rice war where he is underselling the other large supplier of rice in the country, Belize Food Supply. Whatever the motivation Garcia says his operation has been interrupted and he may be seeking legal recourse. At this hour the Customs Department vehicles are parked in front of the warehouse ready it appears to confiscate the rice.
