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Will Concepcion onions be faced with the same fate as the San Carlos carrots - rotting in the field, unable to be sold due to an over saturation in the market?
The onion farmers are making sure that doesn't happen. Weeks before the harvest, they are jumping ahead of the problem, pleading with the Ministry of Agriculture to stop importation early and to keep a close eye on contraband that's filling up the market.
Today, farmers from all over the country went to Corozal to meet with representatives from the ministry so that they can understand what's at stake. And in the end, they can only hope that the months of hard work don't go to waste and their produce can be sold.
Courtney Menzies was at that meeting today and has this story.
Onion farmers in the Corozal, Cayo, and Belize Districts watched in horror as carrots in San Carlos rotted in the fields because of the bumper crop.
They faced the same issue last year around this time and they're hoping to get ahead of the problem. So they brought their concerns to a meeting held by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Orlando Eck, Chairperson, Concepcion Vegetable Farmers Cooperative "The big concern is that, you see the news, and we face it too, about the carrots. Carrots have been difficult for us, when we started, the importation was closed last week of November but the impact of the contraband, all the people will say it's legal contraband."
"In the months of December, for the carrots, the big importers didn't buy, the only one that was buying from us in Concepcion was Joshua, a lady from Belmopan. They were the only ones that were buying for us and in San Carlos they had difficulties. And we don't want to face that. That's why we are here in this onion meeting so we don't have to have difficulties when we are just starting."
"The prices of onion was $3, we are just starting and the price is dropping. We need to make profit, as you can see the projection that Mr Rogers is doing, people are losing, and big losses. So we don't want to face that."
The farmers from five cooperatives wrote a letter to the Ministry pleading with them to cease the importation of all onions early and to monitor contraband closely. They're assuring the government that even without the importation of white and purple onions, their yellow ones can sustain the demand.
Orlando Eck, Chairperson, Concepcion Vegetable Farmers Cooperative "We have onions, enough yellow onions but we might see that we don't have the purple and the white ones to supply all the country but like the minister said before in news, in two weeks people will not have yellow or white onion, he mentioned at that time carrots, but now I am mentioning white onion and purple onion. People will not die. But we will have the yellow ones. So that we could supply the country."
"Right now we are discussing that there is still importation in the country so if they stop importation now, we might have a good transition but if they import white and purple, that will mess with the price of the yellow one."
But according to the ministry, they've already ceased importation and they're working to ensure the local produce gets sold.
Andrew Mejia, Director of Extension Services, Ministry of Agriculture "The onion production is coming literally like now and the farmers want to ensure that they will be able to sell their products. They have worked hard in the field, they have toiled the soil and it's only fair that they be given the opportunity to sell their products so we're here this morning to present the figures to them, for them to see which district is producing and what they're producing and what will be the total production. Now from that, the farmers will be able to ask questions, as they have a right to do, they ask us the tough questions and we're here to answer them as best as we could. There are certain production practices that also we would like to ask them, about their management practices in the field to ensure that the data they're giving us is the data we're presenting on the ministry level to ensure that when we stop importation we actually have the products to supply the local market."
"Currently we have closed the importation of onion, there is no more importation of onion for a week, giving the farmers ample time to be able to harvest and sell their produce."
But it's not just onions - the farmers are saying that they have been seeing contraband lettuce and carrots in the markets.
Meanwhile farmers like this one from Cayo are unable to sell their produce and have to return home with most of their sacks.
Mejia concedes that the issue it a reoccurring one that happens during the transitional period.
Andrew Mejia, Director of Extension Services, Ministry of Agriculture "It's always the transition period, when they close importation to when the bulk of the production comes in. There is always an issue within that period and it's about a 2 weeks window that we're trying to close that gap, but being the calendarized is new, we're doing what we call our check and balances and this is where a meeting like this comes in and we hear from the farmers what went wrong, what's going right, and we make adjustments again. It won't solve itself right away because it's been a roll over issue but we're hoping that with the new systems we have in play, we'll be able to close the gap, we'll be able to assure the farmers that we are working for them."
And Eck explained that their local produce goes for much cheaper than the imported ones:
Orlando Eck, Chairperson, Concepcion Vegetable Farmers Cooperative "The white onions right now is at $260, if i'm not mistaken the 65 pound, it's $260 wholesale at Belize. So if we divide that it's how much for a pound? That is wholesale price, in a retail price you will get it $325, even they are trying to get $350 and that's really expensive. And it's the same thing with carrots. When BMDC imported it the price went from $120 to $135 at the market. And we are selling the carrots for $45 and $50 at the market. So if we sell wholesale, we should sell like $35 or even $30 so that the intermediate buyers could make a profit. So we hopefully could get a good price because yesterday the price dropped in Belize City, the price of the yellow onion dropped because of the "maaga" season that we have right now."
"The support from the government, we will say please, if there is, like everybody says, this is legal contraband, or even the other guys say, this is a cartel of vegetables, even that they say now and that is what we want. Please, if there is any investigation, we need the presence of BAHA, we need the presence of Customs, because if they are not going their correct job, we have a voice for you guys."
The Ministry is projecting onion production to be a little over 2 million pounds this year, which should sustain the country for the next 6 months.
The Ministry has commenced digitizing the date they collect and putting it into an app for the farmers.
Last week, Harrison "Doctor Sutherland" was charged for carrying a 5 gallon water bottle on a bicycle. Yesterday you heard the ComPol explain why he wanted the charges to be dropped. And so said, so done. Sutherland - who was out on bail - was back in court today where he was told that the charges were withdrawn. Outside the courtroom, he explained that next time, he may not be so eager to assist someone else.
Harrison "Dr" Sutherland, Charges Dropped "The ComPol made a point, he did the right thing, how will you crucify somebody for an everyday thing?"
"It's an offense but for a plastic bottle that has no danger to the public. So you're trying to explain that the plastic- so the gas tank you all are riding with, the zinc, the pint bottle, so those aren't danger? So the plastic bottle is a danger?"
"I would think twice now because see, I was just helping out an old lady and I get crucified for that. I'm not into helping out other people again. It's like what you said, the good suffer for the bad."
A driver says a senior citizen pulled a gun on him in an act of road rage. That was over a week ago, and tonight he's asking why the older man hasn't been charged.
It happened last week Monday afternoon on the Hummingbird Highway near the Pomona police station.
43 year old Brian Requena says the driver in a Dodge Ram Pickup wouldn't let him overtake and then when he did - it ended in a confrontation with the other driver allegedly pulling a gun on him and his passenger.
He immediately reported it to police - and they did detain the 71 year old man - but, still, no charges have been brought for what is a remandable offence. And tonight he is asking why. He starts by detailing the incident:
Brian Requena, Says Driver Pulled Gun On Him "When I tried to overtake him, he swerve into my lane. So I want to know what happened. Upon reaching agriculture station, I see him slow down, slow, slow down. So when I made him go a little bit more, upon reaching the speed bump, I say I will overtake him because he is going slow."
"So as I try to overtake the man, put on my indicator to overtake, he swerve his vehicle right into me. So what I do, I stop. I exit my vehicle, went to the front of my vehicle, and ask the person, what is the problem?"
"So I say what do you want, sir? problem you want, or what? So when I see the man shuffle up, I already see something black. So when I see he shuffle and point the firearm where he was sitting on his driver's side."
"He point the gun for me, then I turn the gun into my partner in the vehicle, because the vehicle swerve into my one. So it's not hard to point gun at two of us. So I take down his license plate, 15401 is the license plate. I can still recall in my head. And I call Corporal Garcia, and I tell Corporal Garcia that a Chinese man, a Chinese, Asian looking man pull a firearm, and point it at two of us."
"So I went to the Dangriga police station to make that report around 3:30 or so, a quarter to four. So 15 minutes after the police they move swiftly, detained the man, bring in the vehicle, the firearm, and him."
"So I gave my statement, I signed for my statement, and they told me that tomorrow morning we will charge him, so he could go to court for nine o'clock. The other day, I call, and I ask them if the man was being charged, and they say not yet, too much rain. The police can't come, too much rain. I tell them that the police don't travel under rain, they got vehicle, they could travel. A friend of mine called me and said, Mr. Requena come close to the police station. You will see this Chinese man standing up in front of the police station compound? The man was release. My life's is like a bird, me and my partner is like bird, because at the end of the day the man took us lightly."
"And the police take us lightly. We give a statement, we want court action, and they don't do nothing about it."
Jules Vasquez "Sir, are certain he was not charged?"
Brian Requena, Says Driver Pulled Gun On Him "He was not charged."
Jules Vasquez "Did you inquire with the police after that?"
Brian Requena "I inquire with the police because after he was released, they never arrested him back from then, up to this day. They complain about elements of crime. The element of crime is there. The vehicle, the Chinese man, the gun."
"What else do they want to make this man get charged sheet? Everything is there. So at the end of the day why you all can't charge this man. What is the issue? If they are collecting, collect and make the man go to jail and make it easy for you all."
"You don't make this thing hard because at the end of the day you are making people start to think different. At the end of the day now the only thing left for me to come to you, Mr. Jules, and make this public, because at the end of the day, that's serious issue."
"When it comes to firearm, that's a serious threat. Jules, if that was me, pull that gun on the Chinese man and he complained. I would have been at Hattieville a long time sitting down eating hard bread, so what is the difference me and him?"
Police reports we have seen show that right after the incident the 71 year old of Steadfast Village was detained and his licensed Glock 19 pistol was retrieved and held as evidence - but still no charge.
An Orange Walk man is detained pending charges for damage to property after he was caught on camera smashing a parked pickup's windshield.
The pickup was parked on the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association compound in Orange Walk Town. On Monday, When employees noticed that the windshield had been smashed, they reviewed security footage and saw that on Saturday night, a man strode into the compound and threw a large rock at the windshield, shattering it.
44 year old Kent Engleton was scheduled to be charged today.
A representative of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, known as the PLO is on an official visit to Belize tonight.
The PLO is described as a nationalist coalition that is the official representative of of the Palestinian people.
Two senior representatives have been invited by the Belize People's Front to visit and one of them arrived today. We spoke to him at the airport - accompanied by leader of the People's Front Nancy Marin:
Mohamed Salam, PLO Commissioner Coordinator, Anti-Apartheid Department "We are hopeful that we will do a lot of work together to help the Palestinian cause and also to help both to cement the relationship between Belize and Palestine. First of all we will be meeting with the Prime Minister tomorrow and after that we will be meeting also with the previous Prime Minister, Mr. Musa."
"We are looking forward to have some discussion with the Prime Minister to see, to enforce the ICC decision, the ICJ decision, and also hopefully we can stop the settlement of product being coming to Belize, if any, on the agricultural thing."
"And also we are hoping to have hopefully some kind of scholarship between the University of Belize and also the Palestinian universities in Palestine. Belize was one of the countries that stood with the Palestinian people during, after the October 7 genocide war that the Israelis committed."
Jules Vasquez "About the prospect of a ceasefire, which they say is imminent, or maybe imminent."
Mohamed Salam "Well, the ceasefire as of 12 noon this afternoon, there was nothing signed yet. Okay, there is a chance that the ceasefire will be taking place, but we have to wait and see because Netanyahu always, we had agreements before last May, last July. We complied with the United Nations Security Council agreement and Netanyahu blamed us okay on it, but he always derailed all these negotiations. Therefore, we have to wait and see. If it does not materialize, it will be Netanyahu's fault."
A release says the PLO representatives will also be hosted for lunch by Minister Kareem Musa and former Prime Minister Said Musa. The delegation will also make an introductory visit to the University of Belize.
Municipal paper, or municipal bonds - up until a decade or so ago, no one had heard of such a thing. But now - at least with institutional investors - it's giving the banks a run for their money.
And the Belize City Council has floated more of these bonds than anyone. And with enabling legislation now in place, the council hosted an Investment Forum to boast about the virtues and the value of municipal bonds. Today at the Biltmore, they presented insights and statistics on all they've managed to achieve with the help of municipal securities. Jomarie Lanza reports.
The Belize City Council's public investment forum for 2025 presented the council's achievements and vision over the past year, exploring how municipal securities continue to shape the future of the city's growth and development. Mayor Bernard Wagner explained how this new approach of municipal securities has ensured continuous progress and expansion within the city.
Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City "It's about selling the municipal securities we are looking for investors it could be institutional investors pension fund insurance companies, corporations, banks but also the retail investor who wants a greater return on his or her investment and so as a city grows sometimes you don't have adequate funding to really drive development in the city and so we wanted to start 2025 by engaging the investor and selling our product which is the municipal paper, note or bond."
"The municipal securities is not a novel idea it has been out there for years the city of New York floats bonds each and every day. As a matter of fact their bonds when I last checked for the city of New York they had a ceiling of close to 132 Billon dollars and so we are less modest of course but the good thing about this is that we know have the structure in place the legislation so we have the oversight body, which is the FSC which really regulates institutions who seek to do securities."
He says that a city cannot rely strictly on taxes and revenue collection. Those traditional revenue streams are not enough to fund large projects and construct new streets.
Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City "Well the taxes is used for your day-to-day operation but if you are engaging in capital projects, huge projects, street infrastructure parks, and playgrounds expansion of your e-mobility project you need significant capital and you will never be able to get those on a day-to-day basis of property taxes, trade license, liquor, license or traffic fees. So you have to be able to access the market in the Belize market. The last time we checked there was close to 700 million in the banking system that is sitting in the banking sector and those funds can be utilized to drive development within a city especially like Belize city which is a growing city. We have over 730 odd streets people want to walk on decent streets people want to drive on decent streets but how can we as a municipality able to drive that development the only way we can do it is through seeking capital from the investors."
We asked him about the yield for current securities and how it compares to commercial banks
Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City "Well our securities vary the rate varies but on an average basis we are paying like 4.5 percent which is much better than the banks would pay your or a financial institution would pay you on a deposit."
"By legislation the council cannot pay more than 20% of its recurrent revenue on an average for the past 3 years so even with this new offering that we are proposing it will be less than 3 million in interest payments annually."
"Getting the sort of capital that you want you will be able to not only rehabilitate streets but build new streets and everywhere the city is growing you see it in the Belama phase 5 you see it in the Jane Usher area all across this city streets, people want streets people want decent streets and we as a municipality have to be proactive and that is why we had this investment forum."
And while the mayor is optimistic that they will be able to accomplish much more than they did last year, with inflows from new municipal securities, they still need a boost in recurrent revenue. And the city has steadily been asking for Cabinet approval to impose a municipal garbage fee - but Belmopan doesn't like anything that sounds like new taxes. Today, the mayor reiterated the appeal - to him at least - of a new garbage fee and said residents also support it:
Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City "The residents must it's your garbage that you are creating and the city has the responsibility to ensure that we are not utilizing funds that would normally be used for street rehabilitation and other operational expenses to pay your garbage to pick up your garbage that has to be at some point addressed why is Belize city differ g from all the other municipalities, ask yourself that question. All the other municipalities have legislation to collect a garbage fee and so I have not shied away from that I do believe that we have residents who want to pay I have had many discussions with residents who say mayor we want to pay a garbage fee because we are responsible contributors to our city."
And while the council is wooing investors with the favorable yield on its municipal paper - the quality of the council's finances are also important. And that is best reflected in an audit - but the most recent one posted on the council's website is for 2021.
So we also asked the mayor about their most recent audit and when it will be uploaded. Once more, he told us "soon":
Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City "Very very soon we had that audit actually completed a week ago and so you will have the 2022 and the 2023 on that website I just have to get the caucus to approve it and then my pr team will do the rest."
Reporter- "So what are some key points that the audit revealed?"
Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City "I just looked at it last night but clearly we have the struggles it shows that you had your struggles in 2021 coming out of Covid coming out of Lisa but it showed pretty quickly that by 2022 you had a net loss of 565K I believe but in 2023 you have an operating surplus of 1.6 million so clearly we have turned that curve and I am anticipating that the 2024 figures will be even better. I see where our property taxes our trade license our liquor license and traffic fees all increased from 2022 to 2023 so I am very hopeful that that trend continues."
And what we'd like to do is an audit on the city's drains. The manor keeps saying they're in top shape but every time it rains, we see trouble areas.
So now that we are in the dry season it's hard to forget how serious the flooding was all throughout the city during the rainy season. When we brought this up to the mayor today he said that it's true that the city's drainage system can use some fine tuning and they will work on this before the next rainy season.
Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City "We have cleaned those drains on an annual basis and when you see flooding in the city and you can correct me if I'm wrong but if water doesn't stay there long the water goes away pretty quickly but I agree with you that we still need to fine tune the drainage system in the city and that is part of our agenda for this year to really focus a bit more on drainage ensuring that they are maintained ensuring they are connecting. You can't just have a drain and it connects to nowhere it has to connect to the canals and the canals then feed into the river and the river into the sea we have a pumping station thankfully that really helps us to alleviate flooding in one of those key areas in the downtown Belize city area."
While we don't know the exact date of the general elections, we know that it is less than six months away - and a date in March is strongly rumored. But despite the government's secrecy, the opposition leader explained that his slate is filled and ready. Shyne Barrow appeared on Sunup on 7 this morning where he said that his faction of the party will soon make an announcement of the candidates - and they don't include Tracy Panton or Patrick Faber.
He also says he's "down" for the possibility of a national debate.
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition "The party has approved completely certain vacancies because we had 31 and then vacancies arose and to be fully transparent to get at the elephant you're alluding to, remember I had been, along with the leadership executive, proposing a coalition with the Alliance for Democracy party and when we make such propositions we are sincere and genuine, it would not have made sense to fill those vacancies that arose through expulsions and people relinquishing their positions in the party by participating in another party's activities so for the very last, we left the vacancies of the area representatives, we left those for the very last but we are convinced by the actions of Tracy they don't want coalition or mediation. The party will announce it."
Host: "I have been on this show pushing for national debates to happen..."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition "You set the time, you set the date and I will be there, but Prime Minister Briceno- who will moderate it? I would say Jules because Jules hates all politicians equally. Maybe me a little more than everyone else but I take a bit of comfort and I'm a bit relieved to know that he hates everyone. He despises politicians."
And while Barrow plans a national campaign, he has to keep his eyes on his own constituency of Mesop. His chairman or former chairman known to all as "Files" was pictured today in the divisional office of his would be opponent Lee Mark Chang.
Another attorney has come under the hammer of the General Legal Council. In a decision dated November 29, 2024 - but just recently posted, Norman Rodriguez has been named for professional misconduct.
The finding stems from a complaint from one of his clients, Bobbi Cain - a US citizen who retained Mr. Rodriguez in January 2020 - at a price of $3,000 dollars - to represent her in a lawsuit against a contractor. For more than 3 years, she kept asking for an update on her case and a refund, but Rodriguez told her that he could not find the contractor. In November 2023, she gave him the contractor's address. Still, her case was not filed until March 2024. She said Rodriguez dragged his feet in filing the civil suit in the High Court and that he refused to refund monies paid to him.
The GLC accepted Cain's evidence as true and concluded saltily, quote: "The Council finds it incredulous that an attorney would take more than 48 months to file a claim....Rodriquez's protracted delays are inexplicable, inexcusable and deplorable and must be condemned in the strongest terms as being unprofessional."end quote.
They concluded that Rodriguez's conduct amounts to professional misconduct and he was ordered to "show cause in writing" back in December to avoid sanctions being imposed upon him.
Tomorrow is the fourth George Price Day - commemorated since 2021 to mark the national hero's birthday.
Tonight, we once again look back at Price in his Prime, precious footage Channel 7 acquired from a Canadian filmmaker who was in Belize in 1963 - in the aftermath of Hattie and on the cusp of self government.
Jules Vasquez narrates a story we first aired in 2023, but it still gives us "coldseed" every time we see it:
And in September of 2011, when George Price passed - we spoke to two men who know him well to get a perspective on how this unusual political figure rose to become the father of the nation. Francis Fonseca was a lifelong devotee to Mr Price, while Godfrey Smith was his biographer. Again, these interviews from 2011 where they spoke about his enduring humility:…
And while we all honor Price, does it have to be a midweek holiday? For employers it's disruptive and for employees, it's like two Monday's in a week. So we asked the Minister, who has been known to put holidays on Mondays or Fridays in lieu of the actual day, why he didn't do so this time.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs "I don't know, there's two sides to that argument. Some people advocate for having the actual holiday on the day itself, which was Mr. Price's birthday. Usually when it falls on like a Tuesday or a Thursday it would be moved to a Monday or Friday. This one happened to fall smack dab in the middle of the week. And so, we decided to leave it there. But certainly if it were like a Tuesday or a Thursday, maybe moving it closer to the weekend to avoid the disruption is a good idea."
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Will Concepcion onions be faced with the same fate as the San Carlos carrots - rotting in the field, unable to be sold due to an over saturation in the market?
"The big concern is that, you see the news, and we face it too, about the carrots. Carrots have been difficult for us, when we started, the importation was closed last week of November but the impact of the contraband, all the people will say it's legal contraband."
Andrew Mejia, Director of Extension Services, Ministry of Agriculture 
"The ComPol made a point, he did the right thing, how will you crucify somebody for an everyday thing?"
A driver says a senior citizen pulled a gun on him in an act of road rage. That was over a week ago, and tonight he's asking why the older man hasn't been charged.
"So as I try to overtake the man, put on my indicator to overtake, he swerve his vehicle right into me. So what I do, I stop. I exit my vehicle, went to the front of my vehicle, and ask the person, what is the problem?"
An Orange Walk man is detained pending charges for damage to property after he was caught on camera smashing a parked pickup's windshield.
A representative of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, known as the PLO is on an official visit to Belize tonight.
"We are looking forward to have some discussion with the Prime Minister to see, to enforce the ICC decision, the ICJ decision, and also hopefully we can stop the settlement of product being coming to Belize, if any, on the agricultural thing."
Municipal paper, or municipal bonds - up until a decade or so ago, no one had heard of such a thing. But now - at least with institutional investors - it's giving the banks a run for their money.
"It's about selling the municipal securities we are looking for investors it could be institutional investors pension fund insurance companies, corporations, banks but also the retail investor who wants a greater return on his or her investment and so as a city grows sometimes you don't have adequate funding to really drive development in the city and so we wanted to start 2025 by engaging the investor and selling our product which is the municipal paper, note or bond."
"The party has approved completely certain vacancies because we had 31 and then vacancies arose and to be fully transparent to get at the elephant you're alluding to, remember I had been, along with the leadership executive, proposing a coalition with the Alliance for Democracy party and when we make such propositions we are sincere and genuine, it would not have made sense to fill those vacancies that arose through expulsions and people relinquishing their positions in the party by participating in another party's activities so for the very last, we left the vacancies of the area representatives, we left those for the very last but we are convinced by the actions of Tracy they don't want coalition or mediation. The party will announce it."
Another attorney has come under the hammer of the General Legal Council. In a decision dated November 29, 2024 - but just recently posted, Norman Rodriguez has been named for professional misconduct.
"I don't know, there's two sides to that argument. Some people advocate for having the actual holiday on the day itself, which was Mr. Price's birthday. Usually when it falls on like a Tuesday or a Thursday it would be moved to a Monday or Friday. This one happened to fall smack dab in the middle of the week. And so, we decided to leave it there. But certainly if it were like a Tuesday or a Thursday, maybe moving it closer to the weekend to avoid the disruption is a good idea."
