7 News Belize

7 News Belize HeadlinesTuesday, March 17, 2026

Farmer Accused Of Shooting Cop, His Attorney Says Cops Inflicted Injury On Their Own
Tonight a farmer from San Antonio village is detained pending charges of attempted murder for allegedly shooting a cop. Except Dan Lopez's attorney Bryan Neal says his client didn...
Second Farmer Taken Into Police Custody
And while at the police station this evening, another farmer was arrested for theft and trespassing: Police Officer "So you will be detained for theft and trespassing. Okay?" Farmer...
Fatal Gunshot Injury In Camalote, But Was It Accidental/Self-Inflicted?
There was a fatal shooting in Camalote village late this afternoon, but at newstime police cannot say for sure whether it was murder or accidentally self inflicted. The victim has since been...
Vessel With Diesel Still In Belizean Waters, No Action Taken
More than a week after the Humilde Viajero fishing vessel loaded with diesel fuel came into Belize's waters - authorities have still not figured out what to do with it. As we have r...
High Court Finds That Police Were Wrong To Hold 13 Year Old In State Of Emergency
In July of 2024, a 13 year old boy was rounded up by police in the State of Emergency. At the time, the child's mother and the family's attorney Leslie Mendez sprang into action to tr...
Cops Say 13 Year Old Was Active In Gangs
And while the state will have to pay damages - the police argument has always been that this particular 13 year old was active in gangs and was allegedly chasing someone with a firearm only ...
Mother Sues After Mentally Ill Man Shot By Police
And police actions could find the state liable for another award in a claim that has recently been filed - also by Mendez. It arises from the shooting of mentally ill man Emil Rivers in...
BTB And PACT Team Up To Make 3 Destinations More Visitor Friendly
It's a combined effort between tourism and conservationists, they have joined forces to enhance and ensure the continuous preservation of 3 select protected areas in Belize. Today we took a ...
Feinstein's US Publicist Keeps Pressure On GOB
The Feinstein group - which is battling to get back Stake Bank Island - after it was acquired by the government has launched a new salvo against the Briceno administration in the US. Th...
Meet The Zoo's Conflict Cats, Will Anri Join Them?
Yesterday, we showed you "Anri" the jaguar, injured after his capture in Lemonal. Since Anri now has a broken canine, it is unlikely that he will be released into the wild. So does that ...
Chief Forest Officer Explains Zoo's Exclusion
So is the Zoo being blocked? Yesterday, we spoke with the Chief Forest Officer via Zoom who explained why they weren't involved in Anri's recapture. John Pinelo explained that CSFI - the Cor...
Was Anri The Cat Inserted Into An Undersized Zone?
And did CSFI and the Forest Department make a good call with where they chose to relocate Anri the first time? We asked Pinelo. Jules Vasquez "I understand that that jaguars roam, but w...
Taking Brain Awareness To Grace Primary Students
This week is Belize Brain Awareness week and the Brain Awareness Society has put together a week of activities for the students as Grace Primary. Today for Mental Wellness Day, we saw over...
Agric CEO Explains New Sugar Prices
In early January amendments were made to the controlled price regulations for both brown and plantation white sugar. It's the first increase in price for sugar since 2001 - so many consum...
Agriculture Ministry Now Moving Towards Screwworm Eradication
Baeza also discussed the current status of screw-worm infestation in Belize. He says that soon they will be moving into an eradication phase. He says it's part of a greater effort to pr...
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7 News Belize - News:
Important Note: This Internet version of 7 News is a verbatum transcript of our evening television news script. Many interviews on our newscast are conducted in Creole. In the interest of clarity for our foreign readers, we attempt to paraphrase the Creole quotes in English

Farmer Accused Of Shooting Cop, His Attorney Says Cops Inflicted Injury On Their Own

Tonight a farmer from San Antonio village is detained pending charges of attempted murder for allegedly shooting a cop. Except Dan Lopez's attorney Bryan Neal says his client didn't shoot Sergeant Dalton Kelly, it was actually police who did it while trying to wrest away Lopez's licensed weapon. We spoke to him outside San Ignacio Police Station an hour ago:

This is a portion of yesterday's heated exchange between farmer Dan Lopez and Police Sergeant Dalon Kelly.

Sergeant Dalon Kelly
"What is the reason for being on the street?"

Dan Lopez
"What?...."

Sergeant Dalon Kelly
"Listen to me, I am informing you all that you all are committing the offence of loitering. Please leave. If you all don't leave, I will arrest and charge you all."

Dan Lopez
"Why the next car in the street too?"

Sergeant Dalon Kelly
"You all are loitering. I will arrest and charge you all ig you don't move away. I'll give you all one minute. I'll come back right now."

"Detain him, he is the first one going."

Dan Lopez
"Hey, relax yourself. This thing will go to the media."

Police
"You relax."

Sometime after this Sergeant Kelly was shot in the stomach.

And so tonight, Lopez - who won Male Farmer of the Year in 2019 - is in custody pending charges for the attempted murder of sergeant Dalon Kelly.

His attorney Brian Neal, is claiming that it was another police officer who shot Kelly and not his client:

Brian Neal, Attorney-at-Neal
"We are at a state of affairs that is unacceptable, we are here because the police has acted in a way that is heavy handed, we tried to bring this matter to the attention of the authorities weeks ago in an interview with Channel 7, but it seems that what we had tried to prevent has now occurred."

"From what I have been instructed, my client did not shoot anyone. My client did not draw his weapon. My client is a law-abiding citizen and had a license for that firearm. That firearm was withdrawn from his waist by a police officer. And in the course of withdrawing that weapon, the police shot another police officer."

"So now that he is being accused of this matter, we must confront it with the truth. And the truth is that this was at the hands of the police."

He further alleges that last night police officers went to Lopez's home and police used a rock to break his foot, while his son also claims to have been abused by the cops. He is now calling on the Belize Police Department to do further investigation

Brian Neal, Attorney At Law
"My reaction is that I am not surprised. I know how the police react in certain circumstances, especially when an allegation is made that a police officer was injured."

"But I am calling on the police to do a proper investigation to interview all the witnesses that were on the scene. And if that is done, there will be no need to charge Mr. Lopez."

This all began on January 2nd, when Lopez allegedly pulled a firearm on the Land Manager Julian Sherrard and two Forestry officers.

When we asked Lopez about the January 2 incident, he denied it:

Reporter
"Did you shoot after Julian Sherrard?"

Dan Lopez, Farmer
"No and no time, never have intention to shoot someone just try to take things peacefully because that's how my dad teach me."

But yesterday Lopez was allegedly on Maya Ranch property again, this time with a bulldozer, clearing private land and that's when he was confronted by the police officers.

A police report says that when the police officers tried to arrest Lopez, he ran behind the vehicle with his gun and it was when the police got into a dispute with his father that he allegedly pulled the gun and shot the officer. It happened with one of his 3 licensed weapons:

Brian Neal, Attorney At Law
"The firearm in question is a licensed firearm that was handed back to Mr. Lopez after the previous incident about three months ago. So the police knew he had a firearm and in trying to take away his firearm they have now caused an injury to one of their own."

So, Neal says police are the culprit, while police say it's the farmer who should expect charges to be brought shortly.

For now, the owners of Maya Ranch Ltd have allowed the farmers to harvest their crops and most have left, but the Lopez's are insisting that the land will be theirs, no matter what it takes.

As an update to the story aired earlier in the newscast: Police have formally arrested and charged 35 year old Belizean Farmer Dan Lopez with the crimes of attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm and grievous harm for the shooting of Sgt. Dalon Kelly.


Second Farmer Taken Into Police Custody

And while at the police station this evening, another farmer was arrested for theft and trespassing:

Police Officer
"So you will be detained for theft and trespassing. Okay?"

Farmer
"Trespassing what sir?"

Police Officer
"You have been detained for trespassing and theft. When you reach there, the investigating officer will interview you and you will know more."

Farmer
"Where? I didn't do anything."

Police Officer
"I'm placing you under arrest. Don't resist. You're gonna find yourself in more trouble."

The attorney was present when this occurred and we will be following this up as it progresses.


Fatal Gunshot Injury In Camalote, But Was It Accidental/Self-Inflicted?

There was a fatal shooting in Camalote village late this afternoon, but at newstime police cannot say for sure whether it was murder or accidentally self inflicted. The victim has since been identified as Andy Suazo.

So far police believe the fatal shooting was likely accidental but they are still trying to piece together precisely what happened. We'll have more as it becomes available.


Vessel With Diesel Still In Belizean Waters, No Action Taken

More than a week after the Humilde Viajero fishing vessel loaded with diesel fuel came into Belize's waters - authorities have still not figured out what to do with it.

As we have reported, the Panamanian flagged vessel with a Colombian crew is under heavy scrutiny because the documents it has presented are reportedly fake and additionally the US has taken high interest in it as a security concern.

Last week, the Chief Environmental Officer told us that the vessel did not follow the conditions for the importation of the fuel - including an import permit for fuel from us which they did not do. Usually when that happens, fines are brought, the cargo is seized and the matter is concluded - but for some reason, this case is being allowed to linger.

The cargo is reportedly linked to a major fuel distributor.




High Court Finds That Police Were Wrong To Hold 13 Year Old In State Of Emergency

In July of 2024, a 13 year old boy was rounded up by police in the State of Emergency.

At the time, the child's mother and the family's attorney Leslie Mendez sprang into action to try and get him out of the Wagner's Youth facility.

It took a few days, but the Ministry of Home Affairs agreed to remove the child from SOE detention.

But the family didn't let it rest there, they went to court to challenge the emergency declaration, his detention and the conditions of his detention. And now the High Court has made a pronouncement on the matter. On March second, Justice Marsha Alexander handed down her decision in which the child's mother partially succeeded in her claim: the judge found the detention was unconstitutional. The family's attorney Leslie Mendez spoke to us about it via Zoom:

Leslie Mendez, Attorney - Mother of 13 Year Old
"The court determined that he was detained under inhumane and cruel conditions."

"And the reasons for that is that the court strongly chastised that the child was not given access to his family for an inordinate amount of time, considering that he's a 13 year old in detention. the Wagner's facility in conditions that are quite similar are definitely, not at all different in real terms, In practical terms, to a prison, right? Adult prison."

"There were multiple occasions where access to an attorney and an access to his family was denied. And when we explored the conditions under which he was actually detained, he was detained under conditions similar to solitary confinement. He was allowed recess, recess or recreation for about an hour."

"And other than that, he was just placed in a cell the entire time that he was there."

"The court found that the cumulative, cumulative effect of all of these factors, in addition to the fact that the tribunal that was to review his detention, was not set up until about over two months after the court found that these conditions were unduly restrictive, and that they did amount to a breach of his right to protection against inhumane treatment."

And while the judge did find that there were breaches, she only awarded damages in the amount of $18,000 dollars. We asked Mendez about that:

Leslie Mendez, Attorney - Mother of 13 Year Old
"You know, with the greatest of respect, I do think that the damages that were awarded were for being modest for us to be able to really secure those objectives with respect so that we want damages. I think what is then what is the purpose of damages? I think that they're quite modest."

"But as I said, we are exploring right now, an appeal on the other issues that I also think are equally important."

"Specifically the, the, the decision to detain a child in the context of emergency powers, where you know that there are certain restrictions on when you know and you have accepted by your ratification of the convention the rights of the child that confinement in involving children is to be considered."

"So we definitely want to seek guidance from the higher court as to how really should our authorities be treating with these two principles that come into tension with one another? And how do we secure truly the rights of the child in this?"

We'll let you know if the family decides to proceed with an appeal.


Cops Say 13 Year Old Was Active In Gangs

And while the state will have to pay damages - the police argument has always been that this particular 13 year old was active in gangs and was allegedly chasing someone with a firearm only days before he was swept up in the SOE.

We asked Mendez about that:

Jules Vasquez
"So the criticism will be that he is a bad pikni, and he's out there in the criminal circle of adults. So he has to be penalized along with the adults."

Leslie Mendez, Attorney - Mother of 13 Year Old
"The allegation is that he's, that he's a bad boy."

Jules Vasquez
"The allegation is that he's a bad bwai. And so if you want play bad bwai, you're going to deal with the bad man they."

Leslie Mendez, Attorney - Mother of 13 Year Old
"I understand that as an instinctual and emotional response or an evaluation of a situation. But the legal principles that have been developed, have been developed to ensure that we're not only acting on our emotional evaluation of Crime and of tensions in society. And what the law says, is that children, for a myriad of reasons, have to be treated differently from adults. That's not to say that they are immune to consequence. No, the meaning of that did that when we treat with them, we treat them with, a concern for repair, concern for rehabilitation and a concern for prevention."

"You take the child, being, in a state of development. And so you appreciate the level of culpability as well as the possibility, the high possibility for rehabilitation. And there there's studies, and there's studies that have been done, and scholarship that show that confinement, in fact, has the opposite has a counter counterproductive, is a counterproductive measure when you are seeking to treat and deal with children that are in conflict with the law."


Mother Sues After Mentally Ill Man Shot By Police

And police actions could find the state liable for another award in a claim that has recently been filed - also by Mendez. It arises from the shooting of mentally ill man Emil Rivers in January of 2025. He is taking the Government of Belize to court, alleging he was shot by the cops while suffering a mental health crisis. The lawsuit, filed just this week, claims the treatment of Emil Omar Rivers was 'cruel and inhumane' and a direct violation of his constitutional rights."

According to court documents, Rivers - who suffers from paranoia and psychosis - was detained by officers at the Independence Village Police Station without legal justification. While in custody, he was allegedly forced to strip to his boxers and sleep on a cold floor without medical attention. The situation escalated the following morning when Rivers, experiencing an acute psychotic episode, ran from officers. PC Sheldon Arzu shot Rivers twice - once in the abdomen and once in the back - despite Rivers presenting no 'real and imminent threat'. Even while recovering at the Western Regional Hospital, the claim alleges he was subjected to 'gratuitous cruelty,' including being kept in tight handcuffs." Through his mother, Marlene Rivas, Rivers is seeking damages for assault and battery, as well as declarations that his rights to human dignity and equality before the law were breached. We will continue to follow this case as it heads to the High Court. The respondents are the Attorney General of Belize, PC Sheldon Arzu, and the Commissioner of Police.


BTB And PACT Team Up To Make 3 Destinations More Visitor Friendly

It's a combined effort between tourism and conservationists, they have joined forces to enhance and ensure the continuous preservation of 3 select protected areas in Belize. Today we took a site tour of one of these areas and learned more about what BTB and PACT hope to achieve in improving this tourist site. Jomarie Lanza has this story.

The other two sites are the Thousand Foot Falls and Turneffe Atoll.


Feinstein's US Publicist Keeps Pressure On GOB

The Feinstein group - which is battling to get back Stake Bank Island - after it was acquired by the government has launched a new salvo against the Briceno administration in the US.

Their US publicist Jose Mallea has appeared on another political Podcast - this one called "The Game" where he discusses what prompted US Congressman Brian J. Mast to write to Secretary of State Marco Rubio asking him to take a closer look at Belize:

And the government of Belize has gotten a US Congressman to write a letter supporting it - even if only in a very small sphere. Florida congressman Carlos A. Gimenez wrote to PM Briceno saying, quote, "I want to personally commend the decisive leadership you and your government have shown in backing U.S. agricultural investments in Belize….Let's keep working together to ensure our hemisphere remains stable, prosperous, and energy-independent."


Meet The Zoo's Conflict Cats, Will Anri Join Them?

Yesterday, we showed you "Anri" the jaguar, injured after his capture in Lemonal. Since Anri now has a broken canine, it is unlikely that he will be released into the wild. So does that mean he will end up at the Zoo? There's a good chance since the Zoo's Human Jaguar Conflict program has saved the lives of 30 jaguars.

Currently, there are about 4 jaguars at the zoo. Yesterday, we got to meet two of them who were causing chaos in Pine Hill, and had to be rehabilitated. Today, they've settled into their enclosures, where they can eat all the bite sized chickens they want.

But is this what Anri's future will look like? And why wasn't the Zoo a part of his recapture? Courtney Menzies spoke to the director and has this story.

Before 2003, it is estimated that about 50 jaguars were being killed annually in Belize. These were jaguars who had made their way to populated areas and were killing pets and livestock. Then in 2003, the founder of the Zoo, Sharon Matola, proposed a solution.

Celso Poot, Director, The Belize Zoo
"The idea was to identify those cats that were causing conflict and assess their health and if they were not fit to be in the wild then house them at the zoo for the rest of their life, so make the zoo their forever home and over the years we have rescued about 30 jaguars from the wild."

"What we find out is that most of those cats were male jaguars, so male jaguars disperse much farther than females. A male jaguar on the lower end requires about 160 kilometers squared for home range but that can go as high as 500 square kilometers home range so male jaguars require much more space than females."

That's how these two jaguars - Edgar Hill and Ben ended up at the zoo. They're both from Pine Hill, but Edgar came in 2013 after they realized that he had glaucoma, which is why today he only has one eye. Ben had been hunted and was found with bullet fragments in his body back in 2021.

Today both of them are healthy and thriving - living past what their life expectancy would have been in the wild.

And Anri - the conflict cat in Lemonal - was also picked up as part of this program.

Celso Poot, Director, The Belize Zoo
"Anri came on our radar back in April 2025. They reached out to us and we referred them to the Forest Department. Along with the Forest Department staff, our staff went out and we set up some trail cameras to identify the culprit. In May the incidents increased and then in August we worked together to remove the cat we know as Anri from the area known as ANRI in the Stann Creek District. So that cat was trapped and brought here to the zoo for a health assessment. It was incorporated into the Forest Department jaguar program. It was fitted with a collar and released. We have not had contact or involvement with the jaguar since."

The Zoo was not a part of Anri's relocation, but as a male, he would have needed to be placed at least 500 sq kilometers away from where humans are living. However, Poot says that with the advancement in technology, the jaguar should have been able to be monitored as it was nearing the village:

Celso Poot, Director, The Belize Zoo
"GPS telemetry you now have geofence where you can tell where your animal is and if your animal comes near a community, it pings you a message and tells you, hey, your jaguar, your puma, is going near the community, that is where awareness gets into play, you send out your education team, you make them alert the communities that a jaguar may be in this area, make sure you have your livestock locked up, make sure your chickens, you dogs, are safe. So there is technology so what I know the Forest Department was doing was assessing how releasing some of these cats back into prime habitat area would work."

But Anri will likely not be re-released into the wild. And up until yesterday evening, the Zoo was concerned about where he was being kept - especially since they had spent years developing the facilities needed to tend to conflict cats.

Celso Poot, Director, The Belize Zoo
"Over the years we've learned a lot about jaguar behavior. We've also improved our capacity here at the zoo. We've also invested heavily in facility to house these jaguars. The visit we just had to the back show our centralized holding area where the jaguars are kept, it's safe for people, it's safe for the animals, and it serves as a holding area in the event these cats can be released back as well. It's away from the staff, only the zookeeper who works with them actually has access to them. The concern is from the video we saw, Anri has a broken canine and with a broken canine, hunting might be a problem for that cat."

And Anri isn't the only jaguar the Zoo has not been able to assist with - Poot told us that without an MOU with the government, they've been unable to conduct their work since last year.

Celso Poot, Director, The Belize Zoo
"Our challenge right now is that we don't have an official MOU with the Forest Department to work with conflict animals. We had a letter back in 2003 and we have been acting on that letter basically to assist the Forest Department with these situations. Since August, we haven't been able to go out and work with the public who has reached out to us and asked us for help with conflict situations. We're currently waiting for an MOU from the Forest Department."


Chief Forest Officer Explains Zoo's Exclusion

So is the Zoo being blocked? Yesterday, we spoke with the Chief Forest Officer via Zoom who explained why they weren't involved in Anri's recapture. John Pinelo explained that CSFI - the Corozal Sustainable Future Initiative - was more equipped to get to the location and handle the situation. He also added that the Zoo is welcome to join the team - but as an equal and not a leader. Here's what he told us.

John Pinelo, Chief Forest Officer
"The Zoo has role to play with us in Jaguar management, if and when they want to be a part of it. I had a conversation with Mr. Poot this morning and I reiterated, I said, Celso, there's a spot for you guys to assist us, but We have to work as a team. We can't work independently and separately. And that is what I think, the changes that we have made, might make the zoo feel like they are sidestepped, but it is not. We have asked them to participate in even the last capture that we had. This one happened so quickly that, the CSFI team was in Lemonal by 7:00. I wasn't even awake yet and they were already there reacting to the situation. And that is not because we want to boycott any one organization, they have their role to play, as I said. And, as long as they're willing to play it in terms of the three organizations that do wildlife management, And I say three, because the zoo is considered one of them. They will have a place in jaguar management."

Jules Vasquez
"But not at an apex place, because the apex is reserved for CSFI."

John Pinelo, Chief Forest Officer
"No, no, no, there's not an apex. This is a tripartite arrangement. And this is the issue that I don't want to continue propagating. There's no apex. There's no me come first, you come second, we come third. It is who can respond properly and who follows the jaguar protocol that we have. We have one of the very few Jaguar capture teams in Central America, and the majority of the staff is from CSFI and Forest Department. They are trained in how to capture jaguars and the proof is the capture that happened in two days."

But was Anri's injuries caused because of the cage the CSFI team used? Pinelo explained that they used the resources that they have.

Jules Vasquez
"But I can also say The proof is that the cat injured himself inside your brutish cage. Should you all not have used a cage that was outfitted with plywood so that the animal, I understand they're very powerful, but would've been less likely to harm itself?"

John Pinelo, Chief Forest Officer
"Jules, I will send a quotation for a new cage to channel seven and see if you want to sponsor one For us, the cage that we have is the one that we could have afforded. It's made of sheet metal, and then the part that we put the bait in is made of expanded steel, and we use the side for sheet metal because we realize that the animal can injure itself. But when it goes into the very short section that has the bait, there is a possibility that it might hurt itself. I also have to make sure that I protect my officers when they are carrying this cage With a stressed, angry, 20-hundred-and-fifty pound cut in it. And so, forgive me if my cage is not as accommodating as the Belize zoo would like, but, it is what we have, and it is what works right now."

"We have a formal MoU that was signed between the Forest Department and see us apply for the joint management and reaction to jaguar and jaguar situation, because as I said before, they have a majority of the jaguar capture team that was trained."


Was Anri The Cat Inserted Into An Undersized Zone?

And did CSFI and the Forest Department make a good call with where they chose to relocate Anri the first time? We asked Pinelo.

Jules Vasquez
"I understand that that jaguars roam, but we know this. These are known facts. You all put the jaguar in too small an area that is a known fact."

John Pinelo, Chief Forest Officer
"It's not a known fact. It is the fact that you are trying to make."

Jules Vasquez
"It's known that that these animals have..."

John Pinelo, Chief Forest Officer
"You are not a jaguar ecologist, you can't tell me that it's too small an area. Belize is too small an area if you want to say that. the country is too small. Right. And that is why we try and put collars on them to trap them."


Taking Brain Awareness To Grace Primary Students

This week is Belize Brain Awareness week and the Brain Awareness Society has put together a week of activities for the students as Grace Primary. Today for Mental Wellness Day, we saw over 60 Standard 2 and 3 students get information on how to protect their mind:

Kaylia Nunez, Founder, Belize Brain Awareness Society
"We want them to be well rounded when it comes to anything knowledge about their brain. So with mental wellness we know that especially when since their brain is growing and they're questioning certain things and certain feelings, it will help them to understand certain vibrations that they may have."

"Whereby now they can see now that, okay, I feel this way, I have this type of feeling. So now they can put a name to what they have and we can take it from there. We bring them little prizes and then we ask them question after."

"It's amazing. Even yesterday when we had Dr. Marco and he was asking the question about who wanted to be neurologist, how long it takes them to, they could have answered right on the spot."

"We got so many hands raised. So each day we have whereby we give them these presentations and these little workshops with students and teachers themselves and then we have them participating in terms of us getting the acquired knowledge that we need them to get."

"We would ask them questions back in return and if they get it right they earn themselves a prize."

Reporter
"What do you hope to achieve out of these this week?"

Kaylia Nunez, Founder, Belize Brain Awareness Society
"The fact that children can get a better understanding of the importance of the green."


Agric CEO Explains New Sugar Prices

In early January amendments were made to the controlled price regulations for both brown and plantation white sugar. It's the first increase in price for sugar since 2001 - so many consumers are experiencing sticker shock. CEO Servulo Baeza broke down those prices for us and explained what the new adjustment should reflect.

Servulo Baeza, CEO, Ministry of Agriculture
"We had a control price for brown sugar and plantation white, a retail control price. That's all we had. So the retail price for brown sugar was 39 cents and the retail price for plantation white was 75 cents."

"That's all the SI had and that's all the control that we had. That price for brown sugar at 39 cents was set from 2001. So that's like 25 years ago. Plantation white, that 75 cents was set in 2016. So that's about nine years ago."

"10 years ago, sorry. 10 years ago. So those, so you can see, I mean, especially for the brown, I mean, from 25 years ago, that was the price. And that was the one that was mostly where the mill was saying that that was way below the cost of production."

"And so the claim was that the plantation white was actually subsidizing the production of the brown sugar. That the price for the plantation white was actually subsidizing the price for the brown sugar."

"So after extensive back and forth to the mill, we came up with the new supply control regulations, which is the one that was passed right now, was gazetted the 17th of January 2026. And we did quite a few changes."

"In terms of the whole regulations, we set a maximum price now for the mill. So at what price the mill sells. If you go by pound, it will be 70 cents now for brown sugar. The 25 kilogram sack is 38.50 and the maximum retail price is $77 for the 50 kilogram."

"So the mill now also has a control price of how the price this which wasn't there before."


Agriculture Ministry Now Moving Towards Screwworm Eradication

Baeza also discussed the current status of screw-worm infestation in Belize. He says that soon they will be moving into an eradication phase. He says it's part of a greater effort to prevent the screwworm from further spreading north to the US. He explained what our status is currently.

Servulo Baeza, CEO, Ministry of Agriculture
"So it is endemic now so right now we are in a management phase it is no longer an emergency basically because we have it all over and we are waiting for hopefully in the near future we start the eradication phase where we work along with OIRSA and USDA which were the ones who funded the eradication for screwworm back in the 80s and 90s. Screwworm was eradicated the last time in 1994 I believe that was when screwworm was eradicated from Belize so right now screwworm has reached to the middle of Mexico basically and that is where they are trying to control it from going more northward. Certainly the Americans are trying to make sure it does not reach their border so all efforts right now are trying to control it there Mexico so all efforts in terms of the release of sterile flies is being down in Mexico to try to control it there."





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