What Really Happened when Guatemalan Military Blocked BDF and US Embassy Personnel on the Sarstoon

What really happened on the Sarstoon River on Saturday, October 24th? As we have reported, the Guatemalan Armed Forces blocked a BDF patrol boat heading to one of Belize's observation posts.
But this time, they were transporting U.S. Embassy personnel.

Speaking with Jomarie Lanza via Zoom, Foreign Affairs CEO Oscar Arnold revealed BDF soldiers faced provocation coming and going:

On a recent assignment while escorting U.S. Embassy personnel to the Cadenas observation post along the Sarstoon River, a Belize Defence Force patrol boat was blocked by a Guatemalan Navy vessel.

CEO in the Ministry of National Defence Francis Usher confirmed what he called "intimidation tactics" by the Guatemalan military.

Today, the CEO in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained what officers encountered while departing and returning to base:

H.E. Oscar Arnold, CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"So on Saturday the 24th, prior to that, there was a request made for a standby patrol from Fairweather Camp to escort four civilians-two U.S. Embassy representatives and two technicians-and take them to Cadenas observation post or camp, where they were doing some testings to see how they could construct communication equipment."

"They were traveling in one vessel. The intercept happened on the way to Cadenas and on the way back. On the way there, it was one GAF naval vessel that tried to obstruct the BDF vessel to proceed up the river.However, due to the navigational skills of our Special Boat Unit coxswain, they were able to maneuver out of that, and the craft that they were in was a bit faster, and so they were able to lose or to evade whatever the Guatemalans were trying to do and proceed to Cadenas to continue on the task that was given to them. On returning at about, I believe, 2:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon, they were then... another intercept was initiated by the GAF forces, this time with three vessels. But again, the BDF personnel... the coxswain who was in charge of navigating and driving the vessel was able to evade whatever tactics they were using and return to the Forward Operating Base there on the Sarstoon without further incident."

CEO Arnold says that it is no easy task to navigate when facing intimidation tactics from the GAF on the Sarstoon, but they will continue to do their part at the Foreign Ministry by documenting each incident and writing protest notes:

H.E. Oscar Arnold, CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"As long as we are on our side of the Sarstoon, there should be unimpeded access. The BDF does do regular patrol in the area, so does the GAF, and so it is not an event where we should inform them or ask them for permission. We are on our side; we are exhibiting and enforcing our sovereignty on the area."

"At this point, I would really want to take the opportunity to highlight and commend in the highest regards our security personnel who were a part of that patrol for the professionalism and the restraint they exhibited in the face of what I consider extreme provocation."

"But our personnel remained at the ready, focused, and determined to complete the task that they were entrusted with, and so I really want to commend the men and women of our security forces. It is no small feat,when faced with the level of abrasive behavior that the GAF forces seem to be comfortable with these days, to remain focused and continue to carry out the mission that you were given."

"We use the official channels, and we would send a protest note obviously to their foreign ministry. Each incident has its own nuances and differences in how it unfolded, but yes, we have written to them, we have sent a protest note on the incident, we have also informed our legal team at The Hague, and we keep them updated whenever there is a new incident."

The most recent diplomatic protest note was about the Guatemalan incursions into Belizean airspace, and it was sent in late September.

Julius Promised an Affidavit; But Foreign Affairs Visited Budna Without One

The "less than nothing" Budna file still has not been sent back to the DPP.
On September 3rd, when we spoke to then-Minister of Home Affairs Julius Espat, he told us that the police were about to complete the last of ten tasks assigned by the DPP: getting a signed affidavit from Budna through the Foreign Affairs embassy in Guatemala.

Well, the news is that Budna did get a visit from Foreign Affairs in mid-October, but they had nothing for him to sign. Here's a short phone interview:

Joseph Budna, In Guatemalan Jail
"Apparently, the Belize Embassy had that document and the Government of Belize was waiting for them to visit your humble servant, Joseph Ryan Budna, and have that signed. Well, when I asked Mr. Rolando Caballero, who is the First Secretary of Belize Embassy in Guatemala, about this particular situation, he said to me, 'They know nothing. This is a surprise. We have absolutely no record of any document, affidavit for you to sign so that we can... assure you if we had a document, we would take it for you and have you sign it and ask for you to sign it.' So they are lying. They continue to lie. They continue to hide what they have done."

Foreign Affairs CEO Confirms No Police Request Received for Budna Affidavit

And when we asked Foreign Affairs CEO Oscar Arnold about Budna's affidavit today, he confirmed that no such police request crossed his desk:

Reporter:
"Are you aware if any request has been made by the Police Department to Foreign Affairs to say,'Please secure that affidavit from Budna'?"

H.E. Oscar Arnold, CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"So before the mission, before the Embassy in Guatemala can do that, the instructions would have to come here from the capital, from our Foreign Affairs Ministry. And we are not in any receipt of any request of that nature."

Reporter:
"So you have checked? You all have followed up?"

H.E. Oscar Arnold:
"That would cross my desk, yes."

Reporter:
"So no one from the Police Department has made that request?"

H.E. Oscar Arnold:
"I have not seen any requests made as yet."

Going back many years, it is not uncommon for police to leave sensitive investigative files incomplete.

BEL Executive Chairman Explains Need for 10% Rate Cap Increase

Tonight, BEL is explaining why it needs a rate increase after asking the Public Utilities Commission to double the Cost of Power Adjustment (COPA) cap from 5% to 10%-effectively raising the surcharge on your bill from 1.51 cents to 3.01 cents per kilowatt-hour.
The utility says it's forced to ask for another increase because of high fuel costs and lower-than-expected hydroelectric generation.

Today, the media got an explanation from BEL's Executive Chairman, Lynn Young:

Lynn Young, Executive Chairman, BEL
"At the start of the year, diesel price for us, for BEL, was $6 a gallon-and that's diesel-free-and now it's close to $12 a gallon. So at that time, we thought we would see maybe a 20, 25, even a 50% increase in our prices. It's almost doubled. So that was something that nobody could have planned for, of course."

"And then the second thing that happened is that CFE, their price... while they're experiencing similar challenges, they generate a lot with natural gas, and natural gas prices have been climbing. And of course,they're passing on those costs to us. So the prices from CFE has gone up. But in addition to that, CFE had some shortage, some generation problems in the peninsula. I think some of it was related to the heat, where people in Belize and over there were using much more than they had anticipated, and they had some capacity restrictions on their transmission line and they were late with some of the generation projects. So they were having some capacity problems. And so they started to curtail us far more than they've ever done. This was...we got quite a lot of curtailment. In fact, I think it's 100-something hours in September alone that we got curtailed."

"So we had to rush to bring in temporary generation, which we had started on before, but those got delayed because of the war. Some of the equipment were coming from that region. And so it affected the shipping and the logistics of getting them here. So while we were planning to have them in time for the hot season, May, June, because we suspected we might have problems getting supplies from CFE, we got some delays and they just really got in line in September. As a result of that, as you guys know, we had some load shedding related to the fact that CFE couldn't supply us all the time."

"But the result of CFE not supplying us as much as we had planned for means that we have to run far more diesel than we had planned for. So our plan was normally we'd run maybe 2 to 4% of the supply would be with diesels. This year it has been like 18%. And of course, if we are running diesels at 18%, at double the price of what we normally pay for diesel, then you can imagine the impact that has had on the cost of power."

BEL Carries $20 Million CFE Debt

But why is the increase so urgent and necessary? Well, with BEL carrying $20 million in arrears to CFE, they are hoping that it will bring some form of relief:

Jaleeza Roberts:
"One of the questions that I have, first off, starting off: how much does BEL currently owe CFE?"

Lynn Young:
"Yeah, the numbers change."

Jaleeza Roberts:
"But what numbers are we looking at?"

Lynn Young:
"I think right now we owe them something around $20 million Belize dollars overdue."

Jaleeza Roberts:
"And does this keep accumulating, or how are we surviving right now?"

Lynn Young:
"Well, so we monthly have to look at different suppliers. But we have diesel also that we have to pay. I can tell you that diesel alone in September was running about 80% of our collections had to go just to pay for diesel. So during the month of September, we turned to the government to assist in paying CFE.Currently, some of the overdue to CFE is because we can't get U.S. dollars to pay them. So we have some Belize dollars-we have enough Belize dollars to meet the June and July bill. Those are still outstanding. And August and the money we got, it was some assistance from the government to pay those bills. But we haven't been able to get U.S. dollars because, like I said, the cost of fuel is affecting everybody, and I think it's putting a strain on the U.S. dollar availability in the country."

Will CFE Cut Off BEL For Malpago Debt?

But if BEL cannot pay that $20 million, will CFE cut them off? Young says they are in continuous discussions with CFE about payments:

Lynn Young, Executive Chairman, BEL
"CFE has given us... they haven't threatened to cut us out directly. Under the contract we have with them, they can make a demand for payment for overdue payments. And if we don't meet the demand by a certain time, then they have the right to discontinue service. I know the Prime Minister has been in touch with the President of Mexico, and I think at the political level they're looking at that. We have a meeting scheduled with CFE tomorrow to discuss some of these issues also. But we've been meeting with them monthly, and our Ambassador in Mexico has also arranged for us to go to Mexico to meet with CFE to discuss again as we try to work our way through this. Bear in mind that CFE has similar challenges with costs and capacity."

Reporter:
"What's the deadline we're looking at at this juncture, like today? Not speaking of the meeting tomorrow, but today, what's the deadline we're looking at?"

Lynn Young:
"Deadline for?"

Reporter:
"For payment that you all would need to pay."

Lynn Young:
"At the beginning of the year, we owed them over $50 million. So it's down to close to $20 million right now. So that's just to see. And we've been getting these requests from them for payment, which under the contract they should do, and like I said, under the contract, if they make a demand and you don't meet the demand, they can discontinue service. They haven't discontinued service. We are in discussions with them weekly. I don't want to say understanding because, of course, everybody wants to get a payment. We have similar situation with Hydro Belize Limited. We are working towards paying down the debt that we have with them, which is again close to $20 million."

Government Dollars Help BEL Reduce Debt to CFE

But BEL has been able to bring down its CFE arrears from $50 million to $20 million, with the help of the government using taxpayer dollars, of course.

We asked Young about the government bailout:

Lynn Young, Executive Chairman, BEL
"The government has been supporting BEL with, in some instances, loans and also with capital investment in the company. So to put it in context, under the law, the cost of power is supposed to be a pass-through. So we make our best efforts to try to get the lowest cost we can get, bearing in mind, of course, that we have to keep the lights on. And so under the law, whatever we pay for, once we submit it to the PUC, that,yes, these are legitimate expenses that the company had to pay, then those should be passed through in the rates."

"And of course, I just started this year, but even from 2024, 2025, when the company started experiencing these high costs, there was an understanding that they were trying not to pass on these costs to the customers immediately, thinking that this thing will pass. I think it was driven at first by the war with Ukraine and Russia, that's when the first shock started. But again, since then, now you have the Iran war and you have the Venezuelan situation and all that. And so the thinking now is that the oil prices aren't going to go down anytime soon."

"But if those amount of extra costs that BEL incurred to this point, that hasn't been passed through, amounts to almost $130 million. Now under the law, BEL should be entitled to recover that in future years in the rates. The discussion we've had with the government, why the government is supporting it and doing the investment, is so that we don't have to pass on those $130 million that under the law BEL is owed. We are saying, listen, we've got to start afresh. We can't pass this on to customers. This is just too much for customers."

BEL Points to Expanded GST Exemption as Relief Measure for Consumers

But beyond the accounting, the core issue remains affordability: with Belizeans already struggling to pay their bills, how will they survive another increase in electricity rates?

Young looked to the removal of GST for customers with bills up to $200 as one measure:

Jaleeza Roberts:
"Belizeans are already struggling to pay their bills. This will have a ripple effect and they will only go in debt. The same way that BEL is in debt, our people will increasingly go into debt with something that's a necessity. Electricity is not a choice; it's a necessity. So how is BEL addressing this?"

Lynn Young:
"Well, yeah, that's a good question, and I hope I've answered it for everybody. We're taking steps to try to expedite some solar projects that we were looking at. So we have one that's coming on, we hope, at the end of December. We've already received approval from the PUC for two projects-actually, we have received approval for. And we have a third one that we are presenting to them to try to get approval for those."

"The solar projects will provide power for around 13 cents per kilowatt-hour-13 cents, Belize, per kilowatt-hour. But of course, as you know, solar is during the day. Our most expensive power is during the evening between six and nine o'clock. So we have to get batteries to go along with them to try to cover that little period there. So solar will give us some respite. We've done some numbers, and what we're bringing on will enable us, if we get all of them on in time, to discontinue the use of a lot of the diesels and even to stop renting the emergency diesel generation that we have in place right now."

Jaleeza Roberts:
"We've heard all of the technicalities. We've heard everything in detail. But in the end, people will only want to know one thing: how will this affect my bill as the consumer?"

Lynn Young:
"Yeah. So as I was explaining, I know the government is looking at the threshold for GST. Right now, what the government did when we introduced the COPA is that they removed GST-they increased the threshold from $100 to $200. As a result of that, almost, I'd say close to 90% of the customers now do not pay GST on their bills. So even though the COPA is going to be, if the PUC approved it, it's going to work out to maybe around 6, 7% of your bill. But then by the government removing the GST, it kind of gives a break to the smaller groups of customers-like you and I who are burning less than $200 per month, which is the vast majority of the consumers. So the reality is that because of that action by the government, the vast majority, I'd say 80 to 90% of the consumers will be very... they won't be heavily impacted. The big consumers who are using AC units and businesses and commercial customers, I think they are the ones that will probably be seeing... they don't get the GST relief, so they may see as much as a 6%, 7% increase in their bills."

GST is already excluded from bills up to $100. So those who will benefit now are consumers whose bills are between $101 and $200. And for them, the savings will be a maximum of $12.50.

Maya Island Air Steps In as Tropic Air PG Flight Winds Down- CEO Says GOB's New San Pedro Airport Triggered the Cancellation

Is the PG air service crisis over?
This evening, Maya Island Air posted on its website that Punta Gorda is one of its destinations. And CEO in the Ministry of Rural Transformation Valentino Shal posted on his page that starting November 1st, Maya Island will fly to the southernmost town.
So air connectivity will continue after Tropic Air discontinues its service to the southern town on Sunday.There's no mention of whether incentives were involved to get Maya to resume a flight they discontinued five years ago.
In a Zoom interview today, Tropic Air CEO Max Greif told us the decision to cancel the PG flight was forced by government plans to shut down the San Pedro Airport by 2030 and replace it with a larger facility in northern Ambergris Caye.

Greif says that signal triggered Punta Gorda and could lead to more routes being scaled back or cancelled:

Max Greif, CEO, Tropic Air
"How did we get here? It really stems from GOB telling us in September to prepare for the closure of the San Pedro Airport."

"In order for us to survive, we have to start looking at routes that have historically lost money. So PG is a perfect example. We've flown into PG for 25 years. Five of the last five years we operated alone, and throughout the entirety of that service we lost money. Some years we lost tens of thousands, others we lost hundreds of thousands. And we were prepared to continue doing so. We recognize that PG provides a value not just to the country, but the local community needs to be supported. And so it was a very difficult decision to suspend operations there. But it's emblematic of the impact that a San Pedro Airport closure will result in."

"And I can't tell you how difficult that decision has been. For me over the past five years, there's probably been no decision that's been more difficult, because we recognize it impacts so meaningfully the community of Toledo. PG, we've got employees there that have been with us for 25 years."

"It's a tremendously difficult decision. And we've communicated to the government-actually going back about a month now, we told GOB that if Tropic, the airline industry, and the tourism industry can have some level of reassurance that the San Pedro Airport will not be closed by 2030, we would maintain service in PG, and we would continue operating tomorrow. I cannot emphasize that enough."

"This is not a tactical play. We are simply trying to survive. And if that airport that they're proposing is not going to open by 2030, we would continue operating PG tomorrow."

Reporter:
"What has been the response from the government?"

Max Greif:
"We had a meeting with Minister Martinez about a couple of days after we announced our intent to leave PG. We expressed this to him, and we have had no further communication from GOB since."

"One other point I would say is we're not looking for any sort of subsidy in order to maintain our service into PG."

Tropic Air CEO Warns Further Domestic Routes Face Potential Service Cuts

And while Greif says his company was not looking for a subsidy, Tropic Air could be looking to cut back on other routes.

And that decision has a lot to do with how the economics of air transport work in Belize: the PGIA to San Pedro volume of air traffic subsidizes all other routes. And now that that is threatened, well, everything is on the table to be cut. We asked Greif about it:

Reporter:
"In a recent interview with an industry magazine, you mentioned that, quote, 'everything is on the table' and that routes could be scaled back from five daily flights for some destinations down to three, or they could be cut entirely."

Max Greif, CEO, Tropic Air
"San Pedro to the international airport really supports the entire national airline network, and our ability-and really the industry's ability-to carry a visitor from the international airport to San Pedro is what enables us to provide service to places like Dangriga and Corozal, and PG. And when that route, that core of our operations, is challenged, it puts the rest of the network in jeopardy."

"And so effectively, you can't, you know, put a dagger through the heart and expect the rest of the body not to feel it."

"And our concern really is not so much about Tropic and our ability to survive. We've gone through hurricanes, recessions, COVID. What we're concerned is: how does this impact San Pedro? And so you're effectively moving the center of town and moving it two hours up north."

"And we don't know the impact of that. We don't know the impact on tourism. We don't know the impact on cost of living."

"And so that entire disruption of how this island exists and really how we've existed for 70 years impacts the rest of the country."

Tropic Air CEO Rejects Claims of Hardball Political Tactics Against Government

And while Greif says he's moving strategically, some might say he's trying to bully the government by playing hardball. We asked him about his tactics:

Reporter:
"So then, are you making business decisions or are you playing for political leverage? Because, you know, if you're a critic or whatever, you might interpret this move and the threat of further cuts as a... as a bargaining tactic, as a high-stakes bargaining tactic on your part to force the government to abandon this proposal to open a new domestic airport on northern Ambergris."

Max Greif, CEO, Tropic Air
"So that's a very fair question. And I think you're giving myself and Tropic a bit too much credit by suggesting we're some sort of a political tactician. What I would say is this is simply the reality of the environment we're operating in. We were told by GOB to prepare for the closure of the existing airport by 2030, and we were also encouraged to look at getting a larger aircraft to support those operations."

"Our decision to suspend service to PG, and our need to look at our entire network, is absolutely not a political,tactical move. It's simply we need to make difficult decisions to survive."

We'll have more from our interview with Greif in tomorrow's news.

Nineteen-Year-Old Woman Injured in Belmopan Home Drive-By Shooting

A 19-year-old woman was injured this morning when almost 40 shots were fired into a home in the Maya Mopan area of Belmopan.
But according to police, the teenager was not the intended target. It was likely 38-year-old Ronelee Petillo. He has been targeted multiple times by gang elements and has been left permanently disabled by the last murder attempt in 2025.

ASP Smith says the gunman attempted to gain entry to the home by acting as a police officer. She told us more via Zoom today:

ASP Stacy Smith, Police Staff Officer
"Police are investigating a shooting incident which resulted in the injury of 19-year-old Marcella Arzu of Belmopan City. The investigation commenced just before 1:00 a.m. when police in Belmopan City were advised of a shooting incident in the Maya Mopan area. What has been gathered so far is that Arzu and others were at home inside their residence when a male person knocked on the door claiming to be police and requesting to be opened. When the door was not opened, the house was fired upon, and this resulted in the injury of Ms. Arzu. Ms. Arzu was transported for medical attention, where she is now listed in a stable condition, and video footage from the Public Safety Monitoring Unit has resulted in the identification of two vehicles of interest, and that information is being pursued as a part of the ongoing investigation."

"We do not believe that Ms. Arzu was the intended target, but another person who resides at that residence."

Police Investigate Cairo Street Shooting in Belize City

There were also two other shootings in the city over the past two nights. The first one happened on Cairo Street while a group of individuals were socializing. ASP Smith gave us details:

ASP Stacy Smith, Police Staff Officer
"On Friday, 23rd October 2026, police responded to reports of shots being fired in the vicinity of Cairo Street, Belize City. Initial investigation has revealed that 20-year-old Michael Caceres and a 17-year-old male minor, along with other individuals, were socializing in a yard on Cairo Street when they were fired upon by an individual, resulting in the injury of Caceres and the male minor. Both individuals were transported to the hospital, where they were treated and released."

"As it relates to motive, no clear motive has been established. However, I will say that we have noted an increase in activity within that region that the department is monitoring and employing our technological resources and other tools of proactive policing to combat."

Artist "Kenny Juice" Targeted in Monday Night Belize City Shooting

The second shooting happened on Monday and the victim was well-known artist "Kenny Juice." ASP Smith says they have established a motive behind the shooting:

ASP Stacy Smith, Police Staff Officer
"The investigation commenced at around 7:30 p.m. on 26th of October, when officers on patrol in the Yarborough area were alerted to the sounds of shots being fired, and were further advised by the Police Control Room that the incident had occurred on Queen Charlotte Street. What has been learned so far in the course of this ongoing investigation is that 26-year-old Kenroy Linarez had exited a shop and was approached by two male persons who fired shots in his direction, injuring him. He was ferried for medical attention, where he is listed in a stable condition. No exact motive has been established so far; however, based on the information that is known to police as of now, we believe that it is gang-related."

Two Police Officers Charged With Extortion Following $4,000 Bribery Allegation

And two police officers have been charged with extortion. The charges stem from a complaint of a $4,000 price the police allegedly put on a get-out-of-jail card:

ASP Stacy Smith, Police Staff Officer
"Police have formally arrested and jointly charged 48-year-old Branston Peters, a police sergeant, and 40-year-old Oasael Aguilar, a Belizean police constable, for the crime of extortion. The charge follows police's investigation into a report made by an individual who stated that on 24th September 2026,while in police detention, he arranged the handing over of $4,000 in order to be released from custody. As a consequence of this, an investigation was initiated, and that investigation resulted in the charges of Aguilar and Peters."

Foreign Affairs CEO Says Replacing Rosado Not Easy

Following the formal resignation of Co-Agent Alexis Rosado, there has not been any indication as yet whether he will be replaced as the co-agent in Belize's case at the ICJ.

And when we asked CEO Arnold about this today, he said that there is no way they would be able to quickly replace someone with more than a decade of experience:

H.E. Oscar Arnold, CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"How would you replace someone who has had in excess of 15 or 20 years of intimate access and knowledge of meetings and documentation related to just one issue? So we do have the other agent, Assad Shoman. We have Ms. Marianna Verde, who has been sort of the administrative guru for that group. We do have Senator Courtenay, who also has interacted and has been very, very attached with the Office of the Agent. Opposition also has a representative around there, who is Michael Peyrefitte, and so we will continue... for the time being, we will move on with that group. We do have the defense team-Ben Juratowitch, I believe, is still the lead there. And so through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where we have people who have supported the Office of the Agent as well over the years, we will try to ensure that whatever information is necessary is there, and so we will continue with that."

CARICOM Vote on UN Cuba Resolution Splinters

Earlier today at the United Nations in New York, the vote was tallied on the annual resolution calling for the lifting of the U.S. embargo on Cuba.
It went 130 in favor-including Belize-and 17 against, with 25 abstaining.
Very notably, the CARICOM vote splintered: Trinidad voted against lifting the embargo, while Jamaica and Guyana abstained.

We asked CEO Arnold about the vote:

Jomarie Lanza:
"The vote was just tallied on the annual resolution calling for the lifting of the U.S. embargo on Cuba. It went 130 in favor-including Belize-and 17 against, with 25 abstaining. Can you discuss the vote and our sister CARICOM nation, Trinidad, voting against lifting the embargo?"

H.E. Oscar Arnold, CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"Again, each country has their right to vote how they see fit, whether for or against or abstain. Belize's foreign policy remains grounded on some very basic principles, and so that is why we continue to support the lifting of the embargo and the sanctions. I really can't speak to why other countries would vote the way they do, but we have noted that over the years, there has been a few more abstentions and even a few more votes going against it. And again, that is within the normal course of how the UN vote operates and how countries operate when it comes the time to vote on different resolutions."

Jomarie Lanza:
"Is this a bad sign for CARICOM, breaking ranks on such a core CARICOM cause?"

H.E. Oscar Arnold:
"Well, we are usually accustomed to CARICOM basically making a decision and voting in a block. When we are seeing obviously over the past few years where the rule-based system is changing, the foreign affairs landscape is changing dramatically, but I don't see it as something troubling, no."

Notably, the former prime ministers of those CARICOM countries that voted no and abstained had written a joint letter in support of lifting the embargo just this week.

Made In Belize: Green Valley Cooking Oil Officially Launches $14 Million Soybean Processing Plant in Spanish Lookout

From morning fry jacks, to lunchtime fried fish, to late-night fry chicken, Belizeans love their fried food-and that takes a lot of cooking oil.
Now, consumers looking to sear and sizzle their next meal have a new local option on store shelves. Quality Vegetable Oil, produced by Green Valley Oil, is Belize's first locally made soybean oil, promising to be both healthier and cheaper than imported staples like "123 cooking oil."

It's hitting the shelves at Quality Poultry outlets across the country, and Courtney Menzies was at the plant's grand opening today with the details:

Belize now has its very own soybean processing plant located right in Spanish Lookout.

Green Valley Oil held its grand opening today, but its Quality Vegetable Oil has already been in Chicken Express Restaurants nationwide for the last three months, courtesy of parent company Quality Poultry.

Today, the general manager explained what sets Quality Vegetable Oil apart from the imported oils:

Daniel Braun, General Manager, Green Valley Oil
"Believe me, it is exciting. It's been a lot of work and it's a long time. So now having been able to launch this and say, you know what, we have reached this part, we are now bringing the oil into the market and having a good product-that's one thing that I really feel good about, that we have a good product for this Quality Vegetable. It's just a really good product."

"The first thing that I mentioned is that this is a natural oil and there has been no hydrogenation to the oil, meaning that it has a really long chain of bonds making it hard to digest as the normal imported oil. This has not had that phase happening, the hydrogenation, so I really believe this is a good quality oil. When it comes to vegetable oil, I sincerely believe this is the best vegetable oil out there."

The oil is currently available in Quality Poultry outlets, but they're planning to distribute it to other grocery stores, and ultimately to the international market:

Daniel Braun, General Manager, Green Valley Oil
"The first distribution going out is to all Quality Poultry branches, so you can find this Quality Vegetable Oil... you can find that in all Spanish Lookout and also in every district for Quality Poultry branches. That's active right now."

"International customers have already reached out, but at this point we'll be looking forward to giving our Belizean people the best product we can, and this is a really good product. So we will first prioritize supplying the Belizean market. At this time, we don't see that we will be able to supply the Belizean market 100%, which will take a while so that customers get used to using this better oil. But then with time, we will catch up being full capacity, and the plant is ready and prepared to add a couple more pieces of equipment to increase capacity so we can handle the entire country of Belize when it comes to vegetable oil. And then we can also go for export. We already have a list of countries that have contacted us for refined vegetable oil."

And for the Minister of Agriculture, he's already looking to take this locally made oil beyond our borders:

Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Agriculture
"Today is the culmination of the Valley Green Oil Factory in Spanish Lookout area. As I come here, I applaud them for their initiative, for their forecast to start to do processing, because I believe our raw products has low value. When you value-add, then you can go out there and bargain on the CARICOM market and the Central American market and the international markets. And what they're saying, they have pure vegetable oil, because when you buy oil from abroad, there is something in it that takes up cholesterol. So I want to test the oil to make sure that my cholesterol remains at a normal level."

But for the everyday customers, Braun says one incentive is that Quality Vegetable Oil is cheaper than the imported oils consumers tend to gravitate to:

Daniel Braun, General Manager, Green Valley Oil
"We are definitely lower in prices than the imported, and when I talk about imported, I talk about 123-that's the oil we all know about and we use a lot everywhere. And our oil, when I compare to the cheapest place I can get this 123 oil, Quality Vegetable Oil is even cheaper than that."

And to incentivize consumers even more, Quality Poultry will be having a 25% discount on the oil in their stores across the country this Friday and Saturday.

The plant is valued at $14 million.

Agriculture Minister Prioritizes Value-Added Beef Processing Facilities

And that's not the only sector of the agriculture industry getting a value-added upgrade. According to the Minister of Agriculture, he's been prioritizing cattle-specifically the value of what is exported. He explained that Belize currently sells raw meat to our neighbors, but with a processing plant, that could take the cattle industry to another level:

Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Agriculture
"As I assumed responsibility, right away I put on my thinking cap and thought of what I could do, because Belize has the potential to supply the entire CARICOM and the Central American markets.And so my biggest priority was the beef industry, because we are selling cattle on the hoof to Guatemala and Mexico. There is an agreement with Mexico that we must supply at least 10,000 head per year. That will be maintained, but as of late, our cattle herd has reached 220,000, and so if we can have a beef processing plant in Belize, then that can be accommodated and we can start to sell beef cuts."

"Many countries are asking us when we will be able to sell them beef cuts. As Belizeans, because we have quality products and we have Caribbean Chicken, then we consume a lot of chicken, but many other countries all around the world consume beef or pork more than chicken. So if we can supply those markets, it can be good for the Belizean industry."

Agriculture Minister Questioned on Farm Assistance Ahead of Cost of Living Plan

But while that is a plan to inject more revenue into the country, what assistance are farmers receiving now, especially with the cost of fuel, fertilizers, and supplies soaring? Yesterday, we told you that Cabinet announced it would soon implement a Cost of Living Plan to ease the financial burden on Belizeans. But the release had no real details-just a nothing-burger with love from Belmopan.

We asked Ferguson for more details:

Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Agriculture
"I am a team player on Cabinet, and that was, yes, discussed and deliberated, and it will go back to the next Cabinet to be finalized. But there are areas where the PM wants to do cost-saving measures, because it's really a part of the budget that's being relocated to support our Belizean people."

Reporter:
"Will some of those cost-saving measures be implemented to farmers, because they struggle right now with producing some of their goods?"

Rodwell Ferguson:
"Well, it's across the board, and I want to be honest: with all the differences and whatever it may be, we must remember that we are a very small country, and people are saying government must do XYZ, but we have limitations. Imagine $428,000 to suffice a nation of 8,866 farmers-it's almost impossible. I want to compare Belize with Barbados. Barbados has a similar population, but has a smaller land mass, so they can reach out to their land mass quicker and faster than Belize can. Unless we expand our population and a bigger plot space, then we can say the government must be responsible for so and so."

US State Dept Investment Climate Report Raises Concerns in Belize Real Estate Sector

One month ago, on September 29th, the U.S. Department of State released the 2026 Investment Climate Report. It reviews over 170 global economies and markets, including Belize.

And the statement on this country has been making its rounds recently-triggering real estate interests and the Ministry of Natural Resources to issue unusual releases. Jaleeza Roberts looks deeper: