Carib Scope

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  • Belize’s Flagship Hospital Celebrates 31st Anniversary

    Belize’s Flagship Hospital Celebrates 31st Anniversary

    As one of Belize’s most critical healthcare institutions, Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) — the nation’s flagship public medical facility — is commemorating 31 years of dedicated care to Belizean communities this week. For more than three decades, the hospital has stood as a lifeline for patients facing life-threatening illnesses, injuries, and public health crises, walking with Belizeans through their most vulnerable moments. This year, however, the anniversary celebration shifts its focus from institutional milestones to the unsung heroes who keep the hospital operational 24/7: its doctors, nurses, administrative teams, cleaning staff, and all other support personnel.

    The week-long slate of anniversary activities kicked off on September 15 with an opening church service to bless the hospital’s workforce and its ongoing mission. Organized collectively by leaders across every hospital department, the celebration includes daily raffles, exclusive giveaways for staff, and opportunities for cross-departmental fellowship. A staff sports day is scheduled for Thursday, designed to let team members unwind and connect outside of their high-pressure clinical roles.

    The festivities will reach their climax this coming Friday, with an official closing ceremony that will welcome KHMH’s Board of Directors and special invited guests, followed by an awards program to recognize outstanding employee contributions, and a friendly hospital-wide karaoke competition to cap off the week. KHMH Chief Executive Officer Sherine Reyes shared that the 31st anniversary was intentionally structured to center staff appreciation, after years of relentless work from every tier of the hospital’s team.

    “From the cleaning crew to the senior leadership team, every single person at KHMH works tirelessly to deliver care to our community,” Reyes explained. “All departments have stepped up to organize different parts of the celebration, and turnout for this morning’s opening church service was incredibly strong. It’s clear our staff are grateful to be recognized for the hard work and dedication they bring to this hospital every single day.”

    As the country’s primary referral hospital, KHMH has played an indispensable role in Belize’s public health infrastructure since opening its doors 31 years ago. This year’s celebration underscores the institution’s commitment to investing in its workforce, recognizing that consistent, high-quality patient care depends on supporting the people who deliver it.

  • Lashley wants new sentencing guidelines

    Lashley wants new sentencing guidelines

    During Tuesday’s debate on the Penal System Reform (Amendment) Bill in Barbados’ House of Assembly, Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice Michael Lashley has outlined a bold vision for updating the country’s criminal sentencing framework, pushing for stricter guidelines for two of society’s most harmful crimes while upholding judicial independence. The bill under discussion aims to give judges greater leeway to consider relevant prior convictions when handing down penalties, a change that Lashley supports even as he calls for additional adjustments to how serious offenses are addressed.

    Lashley’s core proposal centers on developing new, tougher sentencing guidelines for both firearm and sexual offenses. He questioned current practices that sometimes result in fines for individuals convicted of unlawful firearm possession, arguing that the seriousness of these offenses demands custodial sentences in most appropriate cases. “That is a serious offence and a custodial sentence is warranted,” he stated, while stressing that judges must retain their discretionary power to tailor sentences to individual circumstances. “But of course, we cannot threaten the discretion of a judge,” he added, clarifying that new guidelines would not override judicial independence.

    Beyond updating sentencing rules, Lashley also called for sweeping changes to include victims and their families more directly in the sentencing process. He noted that while victim impact assessment reports are currently included in pre-sentence preparations, there is no existing requirement for victims or the dependents of deceased victims to be present when the final sentence is delivered. Lashley argued that this exclusion should be corrected as part of broader penal reform, making the physical presence of affected parties a standard part of the sentencing hearing.

    To address widespread public confusion around sentencing outcomes, Lashley also proposed a targeted public education campaign to explain how judges apply sentencing guidelines. He noted that common public criticism of “soft sentences” often stems from a lack of understanding of the rules that govern judicial decision-making, and that clearer public communication would help bridge this gap between public expectation and judicial practice.

    Lashley emphasized that broader penal system reform must not be reduced to a simple debate over punishment versus leniency. True reform, he argued, must encompass three core pillars: preventing future crime, protecting the rights of victims, and rehabilitating offenders to successfully reintegrate into society after release. He argued that rehabilitation should begin the moment an offender enters prison and continue through their reentry into the community, ensuring that they leave prison better equipped to avoid recidivism.

    The minister stressed that reform does not equal being soft on crime, nor does it overlook the needs of victims. Instead, he framed effective punishment as a process that holds offenders accountable for the harm they have caused to victims and society, while also implementing measures that reduce the likelihood of repeat offenses. “What punishment is, is that we must ingrain in that punishment some sort of accountability,” Lashley said. “We must hold the offender accountable, repair the harm that the offender caused to society and reduce the likelihood of reoffending by that particular offender.”

  • Inheemse genezers uit Suriname, Guyana en Brazilië richten regionaal netwerk op

    Inheemse genezers uit Suriname, Guyana en Brazilië richten regionaal netwerk op

    Indigenous knowledge-holders and traditional healers from Suriname, Guyana, and Brazil have marked a historic milestone by establishing the Regional Network of Traditional Knowledge and Healers, a first-of-its-kind collaborative body aimed at securing greater formal recognition for Amazonian traditional medicinal plant knowledge and healing practices within national public health systems.

    The founding of the network took place during a four-day convening held from September 8 to 11, 2026, at Iwokrama River Lodge, located deep within Guyana’s protected Iwokrama Rainforest. Representatives of Indigenous communities from all three Amazon-bordering nations gathered to share ancestral expertise on traditional therapies, medicinal plant use, and culturally rooted health practices, building on two prior regional knowledge exchange events organized over the past four years. The gathering was coordinated by the Amazon Conservation Team Guianas (ACT Guianas), a Suriname-registered non-governmental organization that has partnered with Indigenous and tribal groups across the Guiana Shield since 2002 to support territorial stewardship and cultural preservation.

    Core objectives of the new network include creating a unified regional platform anchored in shared ethical protocols, clear communication frameworks, and a coordinated advocacy agenda to push for respectful recognition of traditional medicine by national governments and public health institutions. Beyond formal establishment, participants used the convening to share successful healing practices across bordering communities, reflect on lessons learned from prior collaborative efforts over the past four years, strengthen ethical and consistent standards for traditional healing across the region, and explore pathways toward formal integration of traditional practices into national healthcare systems.

    A central focus of the gathering was learning from Brazil’s decades-long policy framework for integrating Indigenous health into national care, a model that Suriname and Guyana are examining for potential adaptation. Brazil first enshrined a decentralized Indigenous Health Subsystem into its national Unified Health System (SUS) in 1999, structured around regional Indigenous health districts that require policy to center the unique local realities and cultural identities of Indigenous peoples, covering not only clinical care but also sanitation, food security, housing, environmental protection, and health education. Since 2006, Brazil has also maintained a national policy for integrative and complementary practices within SUS, which formally recognizes medicinal plant use and phytotherapy as valid care options. As of 2024, more than 23,000 Brazilian health teams offer these integrative practices across roughly 21,000 primary health care centers nationwide.

    The gathering opened with a sacred spiritual cleansing ritual led by Adele John, a young apprentice healer from Guyana’s Surama Village, setting a culturally rooted tone for the days of collaboration. Following opening ceremonies, participants engaged in immersive forest learning activities around the Iwokrama site and breakout working sessions to draft a three-year strategic roadmap for the new network. A key ceremonial highlight of the forum was the formal signing of the network’s founding charter by official representatives from all three participating countries.

    The Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development (IICRCD), which hosted the event at its river lodge facility, expressed full support for the initiative. “We are delighted to host the ACT team and Indigenous healers from across the region,” a center spokesperson said. “We endorse the establishment of this network and wish them every success in building an Indigenous knowledge platform for the region and advocating for the integration of Indigenous medicinal knowledge into national health systems.”

    ACT Guianas, which is headquartered in Paramaribo, coordinates conservation and cultural preservation initiatives across Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, and northern Brazil, working directly with Indigenous communities to strengthen their capacity to manage and protect their ancestral territories.

    The launch of the new network aligns with a growing regional movement to center Indigenous traditional knowledge as a critical component of sustainable development and accessible, culturally appropriate healthcare. As early as August 2025, during the Fifth Presidential Summit of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), Suriname highlighted the essential role of Indigenous and local community traditional knowledge in protecting the Amazon biome. In March 2025, Suriname hosted the national Traditional and Integrative Health Systems Conference, co-organized by Medische Zending Primary Health Care Suriname and ACT Guianas, where the Ministry of Public Health signed a memorandum of understanding with four partner organizations including ACT Guianas to advance collaboration on integrative health. By the end of 2024, Suriname’s National Assembly had already received a draft bill to establish a regulatory authority, OTIMSI, tasked with overseeing the development of traditional and integrative medical systems across the country.

  • GBM’s Rick Romero Earns BelizeIFF Screenwriting Recognition

    GBM’s Rick Romero Earns BelizeIFF Screenwriting Recognition

    In a milestone achievement for local Belizean creative storytelling, veteran broadcast and production professional Rick Romero of Greater Belize Media has earned a tied second-place finish in the 2026 Belize International Film Festival’s prestigious Short Screenplay Competition, for his original work *Along Came a Canoe*.

    This year’s competition drew 16 total submissions from emerging and established writers across the region. After an initial jury selection that narrowed the field to six finalists, three scripts advanced to the final evaluation round. First place was awarded to Rasheed H. Palacio for his screenplay *Wanaragua*, while Romero’s *Along Came a Canoe* shared the second-place honor with Chelsea Vernon’s *Checkout*.

    Romero’s narrative centers on a young newlywed couple navigating their honeymoon along Belize’s Sibun River, where their trip takes an unexpected turn when they spot a drifting canoe holding a man who appears to be unconscious. Beyond its suspenseful core premise, the screenplay weaves nuanced explorations of universal human themes: greed, interpersonal tolerance, and the power of forgiveness within romantic relationships.

    The idea for the project emerged organically during a two-week work break for Romero, who chose to dedicate his unstructured free time to developing the story from concept to finished script. Though Romero has built a 35-plus-year career in the broadcast and production space, with hands-on experience spanning videography, post-production editing, and live event production, dramatic screenwriting has long remained a deeply personal passion project rather than a professional focus.

    Speaking after the competition results were announced, Romero shared his lifelong connection to all corners of film craft: “My passion is filmmaking, movies, and everything about movies, from cinematography, to editing, to directing, to screenwriting.” Over the course of decades, he has quietly written between nine and 10 original short screenplays, honing his craft outside of his full-time media work.

    For Romero, short-form screenwriting and anthology projects represent critical stepping stones to larger, more ambitious creative work. His long-held ultimate goal remains to write and produce a full-length feature film, a dream he has nurtured through years of consistent, deliberate practice. “I’ve been doing it for quite a number of years, and hopefully one day I get to do a feature-length film,” he said.

    The recognition at the Belize International Film Festival marks one of the first major public honors for Romero’s personal writing work, shining a spotlight on the depth of creative talent hiding within Belize’s established media industry.

  • New haul-out system planned to speed vessel removals before storms

    New haul-out system planned to speed vessel removals before storms

    Following dangerous delays that left boats and maritime operators exposed to life-threatening risk during Hurricane Beryl, regional coastal management authorities have unveiled sweeping plans to modernize outdated emergency vessel haul-out infrastructure. The project stands as a core component of broader climate adaptation initiatives designed to protect critical maritime assets, preserve the livelihoods of local fishing communities, and reinforce the overall resilience of coastal communities facing intensifying extreme weather events.

    Dr. Leo Brewster, director of the Coastal Zone Management Unit (CZMU), outlined the new design requirements during an inspection of the local Fisheries Complex, emphasizing that all future coastal infrastructure must balance long-term structural durability with the critical ability to evacuate vessels from dangerous open water rapidly when a storm approaches.

    At the heart of the proposed facility is a specialized travelift (also referred to as a tummy lift), which will operate from a purpose-built finger pier adjacent to a widened traditional slipway. Unlike the previous single-crane system that processed one vessel at a time, this new configuration will allow large commercial fishing vessels and smaller private craft to be hauled out of the water simultaneously ahead of an incoming storm. The old system created crippling bottlenecks before Hurricane Beryl, particularly for partially waterlogged vessels that required extended draining time before they could be safely lifted and moved, leaving hundreds of boats vulnerable to damage.

    Brewster explained that the travelift streamlines the entire haul-out process: vessels sail directly onto the machine’s reinforced straps, are lifted clear of the water, and can be transported directly to onshore storage locations, either on pre-prepared trailers or purpose-built support cradles. The parallel slipway will remain in operation to accommodate smaller vessels that use their own trailer setups, creating two independent, simultaneous workflows that cut down overall evacuation time dramatically.

    Authorities are also adding a dedicated onshore boat park adjacent to the haul-out facility to provide secure long-term storage for evacuated vessels, addressing ongoing gaps in current capacity that have long complicated emergency preparations. Brewster noted that the facility’s support infrastructure requires specialized engineering to withstand repeated heavy loads, accounting for both the varying weights of different sized vessels and the combined weight of the travelift and its cargo during daily operations. Current onshore storage and support infrastructure does not meet the required load capacity for the growing volume of local commercial and recreational vessels, he added.

    Brewster also stressed that the success of the upgraded facility will still depend on proactive action from vessel owners, recalling guidance from the late Chief Fisheries Officer Dr. Shelly-Ann Cox, who passed away in June. Cox estimated that moving the region’s full fleet of vessels to safe onshore storage requires a minimum four-day lead time ahead of a potential storm landfall. Last-minute rushing by owners, Brewster warned, would still create delays even with the upgraded infrastructure. With the new system in place and early action from vessel owners, authorities project that the majority of the local fleet can be moved to safety within the four-day window, creating a far more coordinated and effective emergency response process.

    The overhaul marks a key step in the region’s ongoing efforts to adapt to the increasing frequency and severity of Atlantic hurricanes linked to climate change, protecting both economic activity and human life along vulnerable coastlines.

  • PM Browne and CWEIC Discuss Final Arrangements for the Commonwealth Business Forum 2026

    PM Browne and CWEIC Discuss Final Arrangements for the Commonwealth Business Forum 2026

    Preparations for the highly anticipated 2026 Commonwealth Business Forum have entered their final phase, with Prime Minister Browne holding high-level talks with senior leadership from the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) to lock in last-minute arrangements. The upcoming event, scheduled to take place in 2026, stands as one of the most significant business gatherings in the Commonwealth network, aiming to connect global business leaders, policymakers, and investors to unlock cross-border trade opportunities and accelerate inclusive economic growth across the bloc.

    During the productive discussions, the two sides reviewed progress on core organizing frameworks, including venue logistics, attendee recruitment, agenda design, and partnership matching mechanisms. They also aligned on key priorities for the forum, which will focus on addressing pressing global economic challenges such as post-pandemic recovery gaps, small and medium enterprise (SME) expansion, green transition investment, and digital trade integration. Prime Minister Browne reaffirmed his government’s full commitment to delivering a successful, impactful event that delivers tangible benefits for all participating Commonwealth nations, particularly emerging and developing economies that stand to gain the most from increased trade and investment linkages.

    CWEIC, the primary body mandated to promote trade and investment across the Commonwealth, noted that the 2026 forum will build on the success of previous iterations, introducing new initiatives to boost collaboration between the public and private sectors. Leadership from the council emphasized that the event will create a unique platform for forging long-term strategic partnerships, unlocking billions in potential investment across key sectors including renewable energy, infrastructure, technology, and healthcare. Both sides expressed confidence that the finalization of core arrangements puts the forum on track to exceed expectations and deliver meaningful outcomes that support shared prosperity across the 56-nation Commonwealth network.

  • PM Browne Meets Commonwealth Secretary-General and Technical Team on CHOGM Preparations

    PM Browne Meets Commonwealth Secretary-General and Technical Team on CHOGM Preparations

    LONDON, UK — With just over two months remaining until the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) kicks off in St. John’s, Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda has held high-level talks with Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey and senior members of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s technical team to review progress on preparations for the landmark summit.

    Scheduled to run from November 1 to 4, 2026, the summit marks a major milestone for Antigua and Barbuda, which is the host nation for this cycle of the quadrennial gathering. The meeting in London provided a formal opportunity for Browne to receive a comprehensive update on the ongoing collaborative work between the Antigua and Barbuda government and the Commonwealth Secretariat to deliver a seamless, successful event.

    Discussion during the talks spanned all core operational and programmatic priorities for the summit. Participants covered logistics for attending heads of government and their official delegations, including venue confirmations, accreditation processes, cross-site security coordination, inter-event transportation planning, scheduling for the Commonwealth Forums, and finalizing arrangements for the full slate of official and affiliated events that make up CHOGM Week.

    Prime Minister Browne expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far in the planning process, and reaffirmed his administration’s full commitment to delivering a summit that both upholds the long-held shared values of the Commonwealth community and showcases the renowned warmth and hospitality of the people of Antigua and Barbuda.

    Browne also extended formal gratitude to Secretary-General Botchwey and the entire Commonwealth Secretariat team for their ongoing partnership and dedicated technical support throughout the planning timeline. “Hosting CHOGM is a major undertaking for a small nation like Antigua and Barbuda, and the close collaboration between our national teams and the Secretariat has been absolutely invaluable as we enter the final stages of preparation,” Browne said in remarks following the meeting.

    Beyond the logistics of hosting the summit, Browne emphasized that Antigua and Barbuda frames CHOGM 2026 as more than just a gathering of global leaders. For the host nation, the event is also a critical platform to build tangible new practical partnerships, attract foreign direct investment, and advance collective action on the most pressing challenges facing Commonwealth member states — with a particular focus on the unique priorities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) across the globe.

    Under the official theme “Accelerating Partnerships and Investment for a Prosperous Commonwealth,” preparations continue to advance at pace across all government departments and the national CHOGM Task Force, with teams working around the clock to ensure every detail is in place ahead of the arrival of Commonwealth leaders in St. John’s this fall.

  • US Congressman Demands Transparency on Venezuela Oil Fund

    US Congressman Demands Transparency on Venezuela Oil Fund

    A key congressional Democrat has launched a formal push to force the Trump administration to turn over thousands of undisclosed documents tied to a controversial energy project involving Venezuelan oil reserves, launching a new oversight fight over the opaque deal. On Wednesday, during a routine hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro — who represents Texas’s 20th Congressional District and serves as the subcommittee’s top-ranking Democrat — introduced a formal motion to issue subpoenas for the records.

    Castro’s motion targets both federal executive agencies and private sector entities that participated in the deal, which granted the Texas-based North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP) equity shares and operational control of 17 active oil fields across Venezuela.

    In floor remarks opening debate on the motion, the Texas lawmaker emphasized that congressional oversight of the executive branch is a core constitutional duty that cannot be sidelined in this case. He noted that the push for transparency has been nearly a year in the making, with billions of dollars in potential revenue and assets hanging in the balance. Contracts for the project have already been finalized and awarded, Castro said, but lawmakers and the public remain in the dark about where funding for the initiative is originating and how proceeds from future oil production will be distributed.

    The deal has outsize human stakes, Castro argued, pointing to the widespread suffering of the Venezuelan people amid ongoing political and economic instability in the South American nation. He added that large numbers of Venezuelan American residents in his own district and that of subcommittee Chairwoman María Elvira Salazar are demanding answers about the opaque deal, as well as an end to systemic corruption that has drained Venezuela’s national resources for decades.

    Castro specifically called out NABEP figure Alejandro Betancourt, who has a history of past legal and ethical controversies, stressing that Congress cannot allow the deal to move forward without public scrutiny. “We need to stand up for ourselves as a Congress, as a legislative body, as a branch of government,” Castro said, framing the motion as a critical step to reassert legislative oversight authority. It remains unclear whether the Republican-led subcommittee will bring the motion to a vote in the coming weeks.

  • Parent education programme targets family rifts, inherited trauma

    Parent education programme targets family rifts, inherited trauma

    New research from Barbados’ evidence-based Parent Education Programme has mapped the most pressing challenges plaguing family households across the island, pinpointing fractured caregiver relationships, gaps in child development knowledge, and intergenerational trauma as the top three systemic stressors.

    The initiative, developed in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), collected insights from a diverse cross-section of stakeholders: active parents, classroom teachers, clinical psychologists, social work professionals, senior education administrators, and students themselves. The goal of the consultation was to dig beyond surface-level symptoms of family dysfunction to identify its underlying origins, and the data delivered a clear finding: conflict between primary caregivers is the single most damaging strain on stable home environments. Unresolved resentment and hostility between co-parents, separated guardians, or extended family members raising children routinely bleeds into day-to-day child-rearing practices, the research confirmed.

    Fabian Sargeant, the programme’s content design specialist, shared key findings during an interview with Barbados TODAY at a recent graduation event for the programme’s first cohort of participating parents. Sargeant emphasized that co-parenting conflict stood out as the most commonly cited concern among participating guardians.

    “Top of the list was co-parenting,” Sargeant explained. “We had a lot of issues identified with parents who were not living together, or with other family members parenting a child. Where people break up, there is often a lot of animosity and hurt, and that hurt is reflected in parenting.”

    A close second major challenge was widespread lack of clarity around the distinct emotional and developmental stages children move through from early childhood through adolescence. Many caregivers reported misunderstanding age-appropriate behavior, leading to overcorrection and reliance on outdated, counterproductive disciplinary tactics that do more harm than good.

    “Another major issue was understanding the various developmental stages of a child — what a child goes through emotionally at three or five years old, and how that changes into adolescence at ten, 12, or 16,” Sargeant added.

    To directly address these unmet needs, programme developers built custom training modules rooted in real Barbadian family scenarios, designed to help caregivers navigate interpersonal friction and recognize normal developmental milestones. Unlike many family support initiatives that focus exclusively on modifying child behavior, this programme centers the parent’s own psychological well-being, encouraging participants to examine their own childhood experiences to unpack harmful ingrained habits.

    Organizers found that most caregivers who rely on harsh or negative discipline strategies inherited these patterns from their own upbringing, often without recognizing the impact on their children. By guiding participants to trace their parenting habits back to their own childhoods, the programme helps adults build personal emotional resilience, rather than just focusing on controlling child behavior.

    “This programme looks at the parent; it helps the parent to understand themselves first,” Sargeant said. “It is about being in a position of control. If you have a car and the driver is not in control, it will crash. A lot of parenting situations are crashing because parents are not solid or supported. This initiative offers that much-needed support so parents realize they are not alone.”

    Alongside structured training, the programme provides a non-judgmental community space where parents can work together to unlearn harmful intergenerational patterns and adopt evidence-based, modern parenting strategies. This root-cause approach stands in stark contrast to punitive policy proposals that have been debated in other parts of the Caribbean. The programme’s organizers pushed back against recent discussions in neighboring Trinidad and Tobago, where policymakers have floated penalizing parents to address youth delinquency, arguing that punishing unsupported caregivers does nothing to fix the underlying systemic issues driving family instability.

    Sargeant emphasized that many struggling parents simply lack access to the knowledge and tools needed to navigate modern parenting, especially as social norms, technology, and economic pressures evolve rapidly. Penalizing them without providing support fails to address the problem. “First and foremost, you cannot teach what you do not know,” Sargeant said. “I would not want to say that we must implement punitive measures, because the reality is that a lot of parents simply do not know. That is why the government has taken the initiative to meet parents where they are and ensure they get relevant information in a rapidly evolving social environment.”

    Barbados’ Ministry of Social Care has confirmed it will continue investing in this proactive, early intervention model, prioritizing targeted support for strained families over state sanctions as economic and social shifts continue to put new pressure on household dynamics across the island.

  • You’re Paying More for Potatoes and Onions Because of These Two Reasons

    You’re Paying More for Potatoes and Onions Because of These Two Reasons

    Belize consumers and local produce vendors are facing mounting financial strain as the cost of staple vegetables including potatoes and onions has jumped sharply, driven by two interconnected factors: a shifting exchange rate with Mexico and climate-driven increases in agricultural production costs, the Belize Marketing and Development Corporation (BMDC) has confirmed.

    Local vendors operating at Belize City’s busy Michael Finnegan Market told local outlet News Five on Monday that wholesale price hikes from the BMDC have been so severe that many potential customers leave without making purchases, leaving small sellers fighting to cover monthly rental costs and earn a livable income. One vendor shared that after covering all expenses, a 250-dollar sack of potatoes generates barely 37 dollars in profit when sold to shoppers at retail prices.

    In an official response to these concerns, BMDC Administrator Valentin Carillo explained that the state-owned corporation, which handles the bulk of Belize’s produce imports from neighboring Mexico, is already paying far more to source these commodities from Mexican suppliers than it did just 12 months prior.

    “From the start of this year, we’ve observed that import prices for key commodities are noticeably higher than they were last year, and this boils down to two main driving factors,” Carillo stated.

    The first factor is a dramatic shift in the exchange rate between the Mexican peso and the US dollar. Last year, the exchange rate hovered around 8.50 pesos to one US dollar; as of 2026, that rate has fallen to roughly 7.80 pesos per dollar. That 70-cent shift per dollar translates to an almost 10 percent increase in total import costs for the BMDC, Carillo confirmed.

    Climate change is compounding this cost pressure, he added, cutting across-the-board crop yields for Mexican farmers and driving up the cost of core agricultural inputs from fertilizer to water on both sides of the Belize-Mexico border. “When you have smaller harvest volumes and higher costs to grow crops in the first place, that inevitably pushes final sale prices upward,” Carillo explained.

    Carillo also addressed frequent public complaints about inconsistent produce quality from BMDC imports, noting that the corporation schedules cargo shipments twice per week specifically to ensure that produce remains fresh when it reaches consumers. However, Belize’s persistent extreme heat, which regularly hits 38 degrees Celsius, undermines this effort even when produce is kept in shaded storage during distribution. By the time vegetables reach open-air market stalls, the warm temperatures have already shortened their shelf life and damaged quality, Carillo said.