Belize must become more competitive in the banana sector if it is to remain in the market, Wendell Parham, president of the Caribbean Agro-Economic Society told delegates at this week’s conference of Caribbean and Latin American agronomists in Belize.
“The traditional markets are having a hard time in terms of loss of quota and preferences and prices, in bananas and sugar,” said Dr Parham. “We need to become more competitive to stay in the market.
Because of the competitiveness, we have not retooled our industries over the years and now we have lost those quotas, we have lost the prices so we have to catch up. So we are in a difficult position and some of those industries have been there a long time.”
Belize’s prime minister Said Musa told the same gathering that Belize’s banana industry must fight to survive. “The banana industry is facing unremitting and continuing competition within the limited quota system of the EU from the African producing countries, ACP and outside of quota from the dollar-banana producers,” said Musa. “Under the present arrangements, the small producers in the Windwards Islands are facing a grave threat. Belize may be able to survive this threat if only we can maintain product quality, cost-effective programmes, pests and disease and control and incentive for improved competitiveness.”
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