And keeping it on Foreign Trade, Minister Courtenay discussed what steps are being taken to defend Belize's trading interests in the CARICOM market. Here are those comments:
Eamon Courtenay - Minister of Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade
"Let there be no doubt about it, Madam President. Ministry of Foreign Trade is the ministry that took Trinidad and Tobago to the Caribbean Court of Justice to ensure that the rules of trade under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas are obeyed and that Belize will have its right to trade within CARICOM protected. We negotiated a monitoring mechanism for sugar. Why? Because we produce enough sugar of quality and at good prices, competitive prices, to export to the Caribbean region. But what did we experience? We experienced imports from Guatemala, Colombia, other countries, coming into CARICOM, displacing Belizean sugar. Now, Madam President, as a result of our work, as a result of our expertise, we have a monitoring mechanism in place that will monitor each and every grain of sugar that comes into CARICOM. We will know when they try to bring sugar in from outside the region and not pay the Common External Tariff. We will know when they bring in white sugar - say they want to bring in refined white sugar, but in fact, are bringing in brown sugar. Madam President, the Ministry of Foreign Trade is working to defend the interest of Belizean farmers. We are opening markets. We are ensuring that the rules are abided by, and we will continue to fight. We have just been told that there is a problem with red kidney beans being sold in CARICOM, and I want to assure the farmers, as I committed last Friday, that will not rest until the 12 million pounds of red kidney beans can be exported in the Caribbean market. That is our promise, and that is our pledge."
