The Prime Minister also made it clear that he and his government will be lobbying international financial institutions to access outside funding to aid the farmers in this time of great need.
He also discussed a proposal that the World Bank has made to help the farmers become more climate-resilient so that their investments can perform better, in even these harshest of weather conditions:
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister
"Almost by coincidence, I had a meeting with Miss Tahseen Sayed, who’s the World Bank country director for the Caribbean. She made the point that their next areas of intervention, subject to our approval, and they want to move quickly, they want to intervene in agriculture. They are absolutely determined to assist with agriculture, with respect to technical assistance, funding for replanting loans, but in particular, so that farmers are able to purchase the irrigation, and other equipment necessary to protect them against natural disasters, such as this drought. They are especially keen on offering to pay for technology and training on how to use that technology for the farmers, again, all in an effort to ensure that there can be climate resilient farming. They are especially keen on offering to pay. The possibility is strong that they can design an insurance scheme for the farmers in Belize. They would provide the coverage. Now, nobody is going to give you insurance for agriculture."
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