Enhancing Agriculture’s

Contribution to the Caribbean

Economy through Value Addition –

Learning from a Belizean Example By

Professor Clement K. Sankat

President

University of Belize

Belmopan, Belize

and

Professor Emeritus (UWI)

Food and Agricultural Engineering

For

2019 Caribbean Food Crops Society

(CFCS) Meeting

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

July 7-12, 2019

Marie Sharp

Belize’s Agriculture at a Glance

Belize is a small, 8, 867 square miles, country in Central America, south of Mexico and East of Guatemala. It has a long coastline stretching 240 miles facing the Caribbean Sea, and just offshore is the Belize Barrier Reef, the largest in the Western Hemisphere, with 450 small islands known as Cayes!

Belize has a population of 380, 000 with one of the lowest population densities in Central America. Of a total of 155, 950 formally employed persons, 23, 565 or 15.2% are engaged in Agriculture, Forestry and Finishing but it has been reported that Agriculture provides 70% of informal employment in rural areas.

The World Bank estimates that Agriculture is the most important economic sector in Belize in term of income generator, employment, food security and poverty alleviation.

https://www.belizehub.com/belize/

Belize’s Agriculture at a

Glance

Crop production, livestock farming, fishing and the manufacturing of food products

and beverages contributed BZE $258 mil, $94 mil, $38 mil and $211 million

respectively, or 12.6% of GDP at basic, current prices!

Sugar ($113 mil), Banana ($74 mil), Orange Concentrate ($58 mil), whole marine

products (fish, lobster, shrimp, conch) ($42 mil), Red kidney beans ($9 mil), Black

eye peas ($4 mil), Molasses ($6.5 mil), Grapefruit Concentrate ($4 mil), Papaya ($1

mil), with a total value of BZE $311 Mil, were the principal agricultural/marine

exports in 2018.

Some other processed food exports included pepper sauce ($4, 613), Orange Squash

($813), Grapefruit Squash ($121), Orange Oil ($6, 756), Grapefruit oil ($1,662),

Animal Feed ($15, 012), Corn meal ( $2, 098), all in BZE$ Thousands

The above sectors contribute some 75% of Belize’s exports.

Data obtained from Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB), Belize, 2019.

Belizean Agriculture

Corn Rice Banana

Sugar Beef

Beans

Beans

Belize’s Agriculture at a Glance

The value of domestic production directed to the local market was estimated

at BZE $615 mil in 2013, with the country being self-sufficient in poultry,

eggs, beef, pork, beans, rice and corn, with some exports also to the

CARICOM and SICA regions.

When one examines the main food imports they include soybean meal

($11.3), Shrimp feed ($10.6), seeds ($11.7), shortening ($4.8), processed

cheese ($4.7), soybean oil ($4.6), salted meat ($2.7), Wheat flour ($2.6),

Corn ($2.6), Milk ($2.3) etc. Food and beverage imports are of the order of

$234 – all values in BZE $mil.

Factories and Processing Plants

Santander Sugar Factory ASR Sugar Factory, Orange Walk

Rice Mill Banana Packing House

Source: SIB and Central Bank of Belize, 2017 Annual Report and Statement of Accounts.

There is a dearth of information/published research on the agro

processing sector of Belize which can be still be described to be in a

state of infancy. There are more than a hundred very small scale

processors – the majority operating from their kitchens producing a

range of products from local agricultural produce. Much needs to be

done to support this sector. There are however, three processors who

can be described as large; one in meat processing (Running W), one in

dairy processing (Western Dairies), and one in food processing (Marie

Sharp Fine Foods), the latter being the oldest and most recognized

locally in Belize and Internationally.

Here is Marie Sharp’s success story and what can we learn from this in

developing our own agro industrial sectors.

Lessons from the Marie Sharp experience in Belize

so as to stimulate innovation

and entrepreneurship

through agro processing in

our small Caribbean

countries

An abundant supply of red habanero pepper grown

initially on her 400 acre Melinda Estate and a potential

domestic market through retailers (supermarket &

groceries)

A differentiated product - pepper sauce that was full

bodied, made from farm to bottle with organic

vegetables: crisp carrots, juicy red Habanero peppers,

sweet yellow onions, white garlic cloves, lime juice and

natural vinegar as opposed to a very liquid pepper sauce

imported into Belize and made especially from vinegar,

pepper and salt.

Differentiated Product

Prior experience in a food processing industry. Although

not formally trained in food science or technology having

worked in an administrative capacity in the Citrus

Processing Industry (CPBL), she was exposed to

bookkeeping, marketing, sales etc. but importantly

curious enough to spend time in the Quality Laboratory at

CPBL and gather knowledge and information on the “why

and how” associated with aspects of food processing.

As her enterprise grew, Marie Sharp received at intervals

of time short training on food preservation, marketing

etc, much achieved overseas through developmental

assistance.

At the outset pursued her ideas with vigor and

determination developed in her kitchen and at night (as

was still working full time in the citrus industry).

Experimented and produced six of her differentiated

pepper sauce, seeking technical support in terms of shelf

life and quality of products.

Being innovative and creative, not only in product

development, but in packaging, labelling etc. getting

professional help from overseas. (She attributed her own

creativity to the genes from her father!)

Showed a clear progression for scaling up her operations, from her

simple kitchen with stove top and pots, to a 30’ x 40’ small processing

area then to a modern, well conceptualised, mechanically equipped

and with receiving, storage, aseptic processing, packaging and

labelling, warehousing and shipping facilities.

The availability of finance when critically needed as when she lost her

“MELINDA” brand and had to restart as “MARIE SHARP” – (the commercial

bank – Barclays of Barbados) and then again when capital funding needed for

new factory (The Social Security Board, SSB of Belize, a State enterprise).

A steady focus on QUALITY and SHELF LIFE of Marie Sharp Products. An

installed laboratory staffed by trained Food Technologist and Chemist, with a

daily routine of product inspection, sampling, testing and evaluation.

Invested significantly in meeting Food Safety and Quality Standards

beginning with HACCP, with the support of an overseas consultant funded by

an EU/ACP programme. This was followed by FDA inspection, approval and

registration and then by auditing and certification by the International

Featured Standard (IFS Food), Europe with the latter being an investment of

over $1Million BZE.

IFS Certification

Maintains quality and traceability in

the supply chain with farms

registered, inspected and certified by

the Ministry of Agriculture in Belize,

the Belize Agricultural Health

Authority (BAHA), and by an

independent overseas lab for a

produce free of chemicals.

Received support from the

Government of Belize. Her facility in

Hope Creek Village, Stann Creek is

registered as an Export Processing

Zone – receiving tax/duty exemptions

for inputs of production, many of which

are imported from neighbouring states,

and exports of product to all countries.

Products supplied to the local market

are taxed as normal.

A clear, very positive link

between the tourism

industry of Belize and the

marketability of the Marie

Sharp products

internationally. Further

global market penetration

achieved by investing in

attendance/participation in

trade shows in many

countries.

Product innovation through imitation/benchmarking and then

advancement through an acute ability at critical thinking and

problem solving. Produced a green pepper sauce from Cactus/Nopal,

also known in Belize as Skajineel (Opuntia Cacti).

Driven not only for financial gain, autonomy and a competitive

determined nature but by a strong social desire to help her rural,

poor community, especially women, so as to empower them by

becoming employed, and thus educate their children to give them a

better future.

Protected her Intellectual

Property/Trademark around

the world as she learnt from

the bitter loss of her original

brand “Melinda” through

unscrupulous buyers.

These are clearly lessons for us to learn on how we can support our food processing sectors to grow and create wealth for our communities and countries, adding value to our traditional agriculture. Tangible support for innovators and entrepreneurs with appropriate training and exposure, R&D, laboratory and testing capabilities for quality assurance, support for certification and IP protection, marketing efforts and of course financial assistance for building capacity are necessary ingredients for success - at least to give our small processors a start. Through such dedicated support we can industrialize our agriculture as Marie Sharp has demonstrated especially in some of our Caribbean countries with an abundance of agricultural possibilities like Belize for example. This will certainly facilitate new entrants into this sector, creating employment, wealth, stability and sustainability especially in our rural communities.

A Concluding Statement

Marie Sharp

embraced by all of

Belize.

Thank you Marie

for all your

support, Professor

Sankat.

Thank You

Media Credits

I would like to acknowledge Marie Sharp for her video.

Corn field https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2018/08/02/drought-causes-millions-losses-to-central-american-corn-crop-belizean-corn-farmers-feeling-the-pinch/

Rice http://agreport.bz/thiessen-liquid-fertilizers-rice-trials/

Banana http://agreport.bz/beyondthebackyard022/

Sugarcane http://agreport.bz/simis/

Peas http://agreport.bz/beyondthebackyard017/

Santander Sugar Factory: https://www.sanpedrosun.com/business-and-economy/2018/06/03/santander-sugar-factory-accused-selling-sugar-without-permit-within-belize/

ASR Sugar Factory https://ambergriscaye.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/515997/molasses-meltdown-at-asr-bsi.html

Rice Mill http://agreport.bz/abitofhistory/

Cactus https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/nopales.html