The Citrus Industry of Belize (1913-present)
Citrus fruit production is Belize’s oldest and most important agro-industry. Old records mentioned citrus being grown in British Honduras from 1859 in personal gardens. The industry has been in existence in the Stann Creek Valley for just over 100 years. The vision to start a citrus industry in Belize can be attributed to three pioneers who imported nine hundred budded grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) plants from Florida at a time when the Stann Creek Railway had recently been completed and banana industry in the Stann Creek Valley was growing.
In 1913, Dr. Smith Osborne (S.O.) Browne the colonial surgeon for the Stann Creek District originated an idea to plant citrus in the Stann Creek Valley. He was joined by Alfred Edward (A.E.) Vine the Manager of the British Honduras Syndicate and William Alexander Jex (W.A.J) Bowman, a banana grower in the Stann Creek District. Each imported 300 budded grapefruit of different varieties from Florida. Bowman planted 286 of his Marsh and Duncan grapefruits on 4 acres in Sarawee while the other two growers established their plantings in Pomona. For the first twelve years, no profits were made because marketing was difficult as United States vigorously protected its young citrus industry in Florida.
By 1924, W. A. J. Bowman began consolidating by purchasing Dr. Browne’s cultivation. That same year the colonial government acquired Mr. Vine’s Pomona property with the idea to develop an industrial boy’s school in the colony. The school was opened in 1928 and the colonial government expanded Vine’s property to 16 acres, constructed a packing shed and built a nursery for sale of budded plants. The first shipment of grapefruit was made to Canada and then the UK and it was not until 1925-1926 that regular exports were commenced with 3,756 cases of fresh grapefruit.
In 1925, Henry Thomas Anthony (H. T. A.) Bowman, followed his fathers lead and established groves near Macaroni Hill in Pomona Valley. In 1931, Colonel A.P. Bellhouse, an Englishman, planted citrus by the creek-side (Big Creek) on the detour to Mullins River known as Old Mullins River Road. This road had a spur of the railroad from the banana days. The government further expanded the groves on Vine’s Pomona property to 60 acres in 1932. By the late 1930's, other farmers became involved in citrus planting.
During this time grapefruit were exported fresh in wooden boxes. This meant that clean grapefruit had to be clipped off the tree by one person then thrown carefully to be caught by another person under the tree. They were then placed carefully into a “field box”, loaded into a trailer which was hauled by oxen to the railway. They were then loaded into the rail cars and transported to the packing house.
After packing, the boxes of fresh grapefruit were re-loaded on the rail cars and transported to Commerce Bight Pier. They were loaded onto waiting ships for transport to England. The export of fruit was handled by a government marketing agency from 1926 but it wound up operations after eight years in 1934. This lead the growers to form the British Honduras Citrus Association (BHCA) that same year.
By 1924, W. A. J. Bowman began consolidating by purchasing Dr. Browne’s cultivation. That same year the colonial government acquired Mr. Vine’s Pomona property with the idea to develop an industrial boy’s school in the colony. The school was opened in 1928 and the colonial government expanded Vine’s property to 16 acres, constructed a packing shed and built a nursery for sale of budded plants. The first shipment of grapefruit was made to Canada and then the UK and it was not until 1925-1926 that regular exports were commenced with 3,756 cases of fresh grapefruit.
In 1925, Henry Thomas Anthony (H. T. A.) Bowman, followed his fathers lead and established groves near Macaroni Hill in Pomona Valley. In 1931, Colonel A.P. Bellhouse, an Englishman, planted citrus by the creek-side (Big Creek) on the detour to Mullins River known as Old Mullins River Road. This road had a spur of the railroad from the banana days. The government further expanded the groves on Vine’s Pomona property to 60 acres in 1932. By the late 1930's, other farmers became involved in citrus planting.
During this time grapefruit were exported fresh in wooden boxes. This meant that clean grapefruit had to be clipped off the tree by one person then thrown carefully to be caught by another person under the tree. They were then placed carefully into a “field box”, loaded into a trailer which was hauled by oxen to the railway. They were then loaded into the rail cars and transported to the packing house.
After packing, the boxes of fresh grapefruit were re-loaded on the rail cars and transported to Commerce Bight Pier. They were loaded onto waiting ships for transport to England. The export of fruit was handled by a government marketing agency from 1926 but it wound up operations after eight years in 1934. This lead the growers to form the British Honduras Citrus Association (BHCA) that same year.
Grapefruits were first exported from the packing shed at Sarawee owned by W.A.J Bowman, then Pomona by the Government Boy's School and later from Middlesex by the Sharp owned Citrus Company. On a number of occasions, the products were entered into fruit shows like the Royal Horticultural Institute Fruit Show in the United Kingdom. Between 1928 and 1930, Belize won prestigious awards in Manchester, Birmingham and Leicester. The award was won in 1928 by the Industrial Boys School and in 1929 and 1930 by the Sarawee Fruit Company.
At the Fruit Show in Manchester in 1928, Honorable Griffith Greenwich Robert (G. G. R.) Sharp of Jamaica became aware of the high quality of the fruit. He visited Belize in 1931 to purchase 2,045 of the 7,549 acres of the Middlesex Estate which the government had re-purchased from the United Fruit Company in 1921, ten years earlier. G.G.R had developed an interest in citrus from a young age, when around 1917 he discovered the Ugli Tangelo growing in a pasture near his father’s, F.G. Sharp, 3,000-acre Trout Hall Estate in Jamaica. Planting in Belize was difficult for H.R. Sharp, brother to G.G.R. Sharp, who had been left in charge of the Middlesex Estate in 1931 but within two years, he had established a grapefruit nursery using Jamaican farm workers whom were housed in the banana facilities at Middlesex left over by the United Fruit Company. The drunken baymen fly viciously attacked the young trees eating off the new shoots.
Frank G.T. Sharp arrived in the colony in 1933 to manage his uncle's G.G.R. Sharp’s investments in British Honduras. He had worked in the Republic of Honduras and unlike his other relatives was knowledgeable of the working conditions in Central America. He was tasked with the job of clearing land and planting grapefruit for the fresh fruit market in the United Kingdom. Most of the plant seedlings came from the Bowman’s Sarawee farm.
Frank G.T. Sharp went on to create the Citrus Company of British Honduras (CCBH) in 1933. The Citrus Company of British Honduras started with a packing plant capable of packing 100 boxes of fresh fruit. Two years later, in 1935, the canning of grapefruit juice was started. The first grapefruit section was canned in tins and was processed on an oil stove with an output of 5 cases per day.
The government marketing board decided to take a back seat and Frank Sharp was instrumental in the founding of the British Honduras Citrus Association (BHCA) in 1934 along with many Jamaicans who the Sharp’s had influenced to come to Belize. Many names like Ritchie, Wright, Robinson, Bailey, Willacy, Morris, Morrison, Terry, McPherson, Levy, Holness, James, Cooke, Jones, Buller and Finlayson still reside in the Valley planting citrus. The British Honduras Citrus Association was a very progressive co-operative company. Later, a German Gustav Kassebeer and a Japanese Captain T. Konishi also came to work in the valley for Frank Sharp and eventually planted their own farm.
By 1939 the citrus industry had become a major and rapidly expanding business and the growers had over 1,000 acres of the seedless Marsh & Duncan grapefruit variety established. The British Honduras Citrus Association opened a large capacity fresh fruit packing factory at just outside Stann Creek Town. Later canning equipment was added and in 1941 elaborate pulping machines were purchased.
At the Fruit Show in Manchester in 1928, Honorable Griffith Greenwich Robert (G. G. R.) Sharp of Jamaica became aware of the high quality of the fruit. He visited Belize in 1931 to purchase 2,045 of the 7,549 acres of the Middlesex Estate which the government had re-purchased from the United Fruit Company in 1921, ten years earlier. G.G.R had developed an interest in citrus from a young age, when around 1917 he discovered the Ugli Tangelo growing in a pasture near his father’s, F.G. Sharp, 3,000-acre Trout Hall Estate in Jamaica. Planting in Belize was difficult for H.R. Sharp, brother to G.G.R. Sharp, who had been left in charge of the Middlesex Estate in 1931 but within two years, he had established a grapefruit nursery using Jamaican farm workers whom were housed in the banana facilities at Middlesex left over by the United Fruit Company. The drunken baymen fly viciously attacked the young trees eating off the new shoots.
Frank G.T. Sharp arrived in the colony in 1933 to manage his uncle's G.G.R. Sharp’s investments in British Honduras. He had worked in the Republic of Honduras and unlike his other relatives was knowledgeable of the working conditions in Central America. He was tasked with the job of clearing land and planting grapefruit for the fresh fruit market in the United Kingdom. Most of the plant seedlings came from the Bowman’s Sarawee farm.
Frank G.T. Sharp went on to create the Citrus Company of British Honduras (CCBH) in 1933. The Citrus Company of British Honduras started with a packing plant capable of packing 100 boxes of fresh fruit. Two years later, in 1935, the canning of grapefruit juice was started. The first grapefruit section was canned in tins and was processed on an oil stove with an output of 5 cases per day.
The government marketing board decided to take a back seat and Frank Sharp was instrumental in the founding of the British Honduras Citrus Association (BHCA) in 1934 along with many Jamaicans who the Sharp’s had influenced to come to Belize. Many names like Ritchie, Wright, Robinson, Bailey, Willacy, Morris, Morrison, Terry, McPherson, Levy, Holness, James, Cooke, Jones, Buller and Finlayson still reside in the Valley planting citrus. The British Honduras Citrus Association was a very progressive co-operative company. Later, a German Gustav Kassebeer and a Japanese Captain T. Konishi also came to work in the valley for Frank Sharp and eventually planted their own farm.
By 1939 the citrus industry had become a major and rapidly expanding business and the growers had over 1,000 acres of the seedless Marsh & Duncan grapefruit variety established. The British Honduras Citrus Association opened a large capacity fresh fruit packing factory at just outside Stann Creek Town. Later canning equipment was added and in 1941 elaborate pulping machines were purchased.
The Sharp's Citrus Company of British Honduras transferred their canning and other processing facilities from Middlesex to Pomona in 1942. Transfer of the factories to Pomona, 13 miles up the Valley on the newly constructed Stann Creek Valley Road, meant that deliveries became easier for smaller farmers who became interested in this crop after two serious plant disease outbreaks had brought the banana industry to a virtual standstill. This also meant that the Citrus Company would have access to the packing shed at Pomona used for exporting by the Industrial Boy’s School. The packing machinery of the British Honduras Citrus Association was subsequently moved from the old factory near Stann Creek Town to the Pomona factory.
Between 1942 and 1944, there was little commercial shipping due to German U-boat activity in the Caribbean. This almost resulted in the bankrupting of the industry which was eventually saved by a government subsidy of $10 per acre in 1943 and $20 per acre in 1944 and 1945. The British Honduras Citrus Association never really recovered from the heavy financial loss caused by the wartime shutdown and finally sold out to a private firm owned by the Sharp's.
In 1945, a new citrus juicing plant was installed at the Pomona factory, to can grapefruit products in tins. Orange juice was exported for the first time in 1948. This was supported by a ten-year contract signed in 1949 with the British Ministry of Food to provide orange juice and “segments” in cans for distribution to schools in the UK. The fruit and juices were canned and sold under the Trout Hall Brand. A more modern citrus plant was completed in 1952 to accommodate the anticipated increase output of orange juice concentrate.
In 1945, a new citrus juicing plant was installed at the Pomona factory, to can grapefruit products in tins. Orange juice was exported for the first time in 1948. This was supported by a ten-year contract signed in 1949 with the British Ministry of Food to provide orange juice and “segments” in cans for distribution to schools in the UK. The fruit and juices were canned and sold under the Trout Hall Brand. A more modern citrus plant was completed in 1952 to accommodate the anticipated increase output of orange juice concentrate.
The Citrus Company of British Honduras installed a unit to produce citrus oil from the peel in 1952. In this same year the Citrus Growers Association was formed. Two years later in 1954, the sixty-four farmers of the citrus industry reached the million dollar sales milestone.
The acreage devoted to oranges increased from 30 acres in 1945 to 4,000 acres by 1955. A combination of small and large farmers like the British Honduras Fruit Company owned by the Colonial Development Corporation established various varieties of Valencia oranges (Citrus sinensis) especially in Alta Vista.
In 1960, seventy-eight percent of the citrus growing land in the valley was controlled by three entities:
In addition of citrus in the Stann Creek Valley, small shipments of citrus were trucked from Corozal and Orange Walk and from the central Cayo District via the newly constructed Hummingbird Highway for processing at the factory. The British Honduras Citrus Company maintained group housing for its permanent field and factory labor force, amounting to 1,500 employees.
Besides the early generation of English and Jamaican citrus growers a next generation of growers entered the scene. Douglas Langford came from Jamaica in the 1947 to attempt to restart the banana industry near Alta Vista and later grew citrus. Maurice Gower Usher was a forest ranger, who invested in citrus on retirement while Aureliano P. Kuylen of Belgian ancestry had a large citrus orchard at Sarawee. Men like Karl Gabourel and Hector Silva who later became a Minister of government also worked in the industry in the late 1950’s. The Middle Eastern Zabaneh family came to Belize by way of El Salvador during this time.
The acreage devoted to oranges increased from 30 acres in 1945 to 4,000 acres by 1955. A combination of small and large farmers like the British Honduras Fruit Company owned by the Colonial Development Corporation established various varieties of Valencia oranges (Citrus sinensis) especially in Alta Vista.
In 1960, seventy-eight percent of the citrus growing land in the valley was controlled by three entities:
- The British Honduras Citrus Company Limited, a subsidiary of the Sharp's Jamaican citrus and sugar company,
- The Colonial Development Corporation's British Honduras Fruit Company Limited, a quasi-governmental concern based in London,
- and by the Bowman family of long residence in the area.
In addition of citrus in the Stann Creek Valley, small shipments of citrus were trucked from Corozal and Orange Walk and from the central Cayo District via the newly constructed Hummingbird Highway for processing at the factory. The British Honduras Citrus Company maintained group housing for its permanent field and factory labor force, amounting to 1,500 employees.
Besides the early generation of English and Jamaican citrus growers a next generation of growers entered the scene. Douglas Langford came from Jamaica in the 1947 to attempt to restart the banana industry near Alta Vista and later grew citrus. Maurice Gower Usher was a forest ranger, who invested in citrus on retirement while Aureliano P. Kuylen of Belgian ancestry had a large citrus orchard at Sarawee. Men like Karl Gabourel and Hector Silva who later became a Minister of government also worked in the industry in the late 1950’s. The Middle Eastern Zabaneh family came to Belize by way of El Salvador during this time.
In addition to the original processing factory founded by Frank Sharp, a second citrus juice processor was established by Salada Foods of Canada which began operations in 1962. Guy N.F. Nord a wealthy Belize City merchant and H.T.A Bowman persuaded Salada to buy over the Colonial Development Corporation Holdings around Alta Vista, after a severe freeze in Florida. Salada Foods immediately built a modern citrus factory. The “Salada” factory was purchased in 1969 by Kellogs of Battle Creek, Michigan and in 1979 by Nestle S.A. of Switzerland who changed the name to Belize Food Products (BFP) Ltd.
The final wave of Jamaicans including the Michael Dunker and Patrick Polack came to Belize to enter the industry in the 1970's. Dr. Marla Holder was the first female agronomist in Belize and also played a huge role in research in the industry starting around this time.
Trout Hall was going into receivership in Jamaica and in 1984, partly because of developing tension between small farmers and the Citrus Company of British Honduras over fruit prices, the factory at Pomona was sold to a consortium headed by the Citrus Growers Association of Trinidad and local Belizean farmers. This marked the end of the 50-year Sharp’s ownership of the factory at Pomona. By this time the Zabaneh family were prominent citrus growers and over the next 25 years would go on to own the most acreage of citrus orchards.
In 1990, Nestle transferred ownership of the Alta Vista Factory to a group of Belizean citrus growers, employees and Belize Holdings Inc. (25%) whose name has since been changed to BHI Corporation and chaired by Michael A. Ashcroft.
In 1998, the British Government owned Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) purchased both the Citrus Company of Belize and Belize Food Products factories and associated citrus orchards and consolidated these into a new company called Del Oro Belize. The Belize Citrus Growers Association Investment Company Limited (BCGAICL) acquired 10% of shareholdings in Del Oro in 2000 and acquired an additional 89.78% in 2002.
The final wave of Jamaicans including the Michael Dunker and Patrick Polack came to Belize to enter the industry in the 1970's. Dr. Marla Holder was the first female agronomist in Belize and also played a huge role in research in the industry starting around this time.
Trout Hall was going into receivership in Jamaica and in 1984, partly because of developing tension between small farmers and the Citrus Company of British Honduras over fruit prices, the factory at Pomona was sold to a consortium headed by the Citrus Growers Association of Trinidad and local Belizean farmers. This marked the end of the 50-year Sharp’s ownership of the factory at Pomona. By this time the Zabaneh family were prominent citrus growers and over the next 25 years would go on to own the most acreage of citrus orchards.
In 1990, Nestle transferred ownership of the Alta Vista Factory to a group of Belizean citrus growers, employees and Belize Holdings Inc. (25%) whose name has since been changed to BHI Corporation and chaired by Michael A. Ashcroft.
In 1998, the British Government owned Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) purchased both the Citrus Company of Belize and Belize Food Products factories and associated citrus orchards and consolidated these into a new company called Del Oro Belize. The Belize Citrus Growers Association Investment Company Limited (BCGAICL) acquired 10% of shareholdings in Del Oro in 2000 and acquired an additional 89.78% in 2002.
BELIZE CITRUS GROWERS OWNERSHIP OF COMPANY (2002-Present)
In October 2002 the Citrus Growers Association who has their headquarters 9 miles on the Stann Creek Valley road at Hope Creek acquired majority ownership (99.78%) of the two processing factories, the company was changed to Citrus Products of Belize Limited. This government facilitated purchase effectively meant that a private business became a co-operative and translated to equal power for all citrus farmers, regardless of their production.
Several persons were responsible for negotiating the deal to acquire the industry for the growers, including Denzil Jenkins as lead negotiator and Dr. Henry Canton as Minister responsible for the Citrus Industry. The latter presented a business plan to the banks, and one of the main points of this plan was that the Company would divest itself of its non-core assets (mainly citrus groves) and concentrate on the processing side of the business. Proceeds of the sale of the groves would be used to reduce debts and provide the company with much needed cash flow. After the deal was finalized; for four (4) years all aspects of citrus production in Belize, from the tree planting to fruit processing and sale of product, were grower owned and managed.
A pound system payment for citrus was implemented for oranges in 2003. It has played a crucial role of rewarding payments for quality and not quantity of fruits. Those growers who deliver quality fruit receive more monies than growers who deliver less quality fruits (i.e. fewer pounds per box of fruit delivered). Pound solids is the quantity of solids in a 90-pound box of orange. The solids are basically the sugar in the juice but can include other solid materials in juice. This system was implemented for grapefruit in 2005 based on an 80-pound box. 2004 saw the Citrus Products of Belize Limited offering many of its properties for sale in order to generate cash flow as was proposed in the original 2002 business plan.
Pound Solids System of Payment for Citrus
The price of orange in 2017 is $2.55 per pound solid. When a load of oranges or grapefruit reach the factory a sample of 40 pounds is taken at random by the pound solids laboratory to test for brix, acidity, ratio and percentage of juice in fruit determined by weight.
Fruit maturity in citrus is guided by the ratio, which is brix divided by the acidity of juice. A minimum of 13:1 is accepted for oranges and 9:1 for grapefruit. When ratios are below the minimum, the fruit is considered immature and contain bitter substances. As the ratio improves the sugars become more pronounced in the juice. The ratio is important for maturity of fruit but does not indicate the pound solids in the juice. The brix is the measurement of sugars in juice. The brix is a good indicator of pound solids.
ratio = brix/acid
The acidity is calculated by titration. However, one more parameter has to be measured: percentage of juice which is calculated by the weight of juice separated from the pulp and skin.
The readings from the 40-pound sample is then extrapolated to a 90-pound box for oranges or 80-pound box for grapefruit to get the pound solids per box, the basis for payment for fruit. This is done by keeping brix and acid constant and multiplying weight of juice in the sample by 2.25 for orange and 2.0 for grapefruit.
Pound solids are calculated as follows:
pound solids = Pounds of juice per box X (Brix/100)
Fruit maturity in citrus is guided by the ratio, which is brix divided by the acidity of juice. A minimum of 13:1 is accepted for oranges and 9:1 for grapefruit. When ratios are below the minimum, the fruit is considered immature and contain bitter substances. As the ratio improves the sugars become more pronounced in the juice. The ratio is important for maturity of fruit but does not indicate the pound solids in the juice. The brix is the measurement of sugars in juice. The brix is a good indicator of pound solids.
ratio = brix/acid
The acidity is calculated by titration. However, one more parameter has to be measured: percentage of juice which is calculated by the weight of juice separated from the pulp and skin.
The readings from the 40-pound sample is then extrapolated to a 90-pound box for oranges or 80-pound box for grapefruit to get the pound solids per box, the basis for payment for fruit. This is done by keeping brix and acid constant and multiplying weight of juice in the sample by 2.25 for orange and 2.0 for grapefruit.
Pound solids are calculated as follows:
pound solids = Pounds of juice per box X (Brix/100)
Below is an example of pound solids per box of Valencia orange for three growers.
Grower 001 and 002 delivered fruit with the same brix value of 10.9999; however, in the first case the fruit had a ratio of 22 and 52.94 pounds of juice per 90-pound box. The pound solids per box is 5.8233. In the second case the ratio of fruit was 14 and the weight of juice was 55.67 pounds. When calculated the pound solids was 6.1236. The first grower will receive $14.85 per box while the second grower will receive $15.62 per box.
Grower 003 on the other hand placed more fertilizers on his trees his fruit developed a higher sugar content with a brix value of 12.5001. His pound solids will be higher and at $2.55 per pound solid he will receive $17.07 per box of fruit for that specific load delivered to the factory. This is payment for quality of juice, the pound solids system of payment.
Grower 003 on the other hand placed more fertilizers on his trees his fruit developed a higher sugar content with a brix value of 12.5001. His pound solids will be higher and at $2.55 per pound solid he will receive $17.07 per box of fruit for that specific load delivered to the factory. This is payment for quality of juice, the pound solids system of payment.
It is important to note that at the end of the crop an audited report of the total pound solids produced by the factory is done. Most of the time the factory extracts more solids than the pound solids laboratory because the extractors in the factory are adjusted tighter than the extractors used in the lab and the factory has other machines that extract additional pound solids after the extractor. Any excess is adjusted to reflect payment to growers for the extra or shortage of pound solids. In Belize, the Bureau of Standards have not undertaken oversight of the pound solids lab, it is done by a 4-person committee, 2 from CGA and 2 from CPBL.
In December 2006, the Belize Citrus Growers Association leadership at the time sought a strategic investor to invest in CPBL and settled on a company from Barbados called Banks Holdings. Under the new deal, the CGA would be left with a 51% stake in the CPBL, whereas a 47% stake went to two Caribbean companies, Blue Water of Trinidad, a purified water company, and Banks Holdings Limited, a group of companies that are the Barbadian equivalent of Belize’s Barry Bowen enterprises, as they produce the leading beer in Barbados called Banks Beer and supply Coca Cola locally. CPBL also signed a joint venture with a company in the Dominican Republic to produce cattle feed from the citrus pulp.
The majority of the citrus growers were irate as the selling off of shares was not beneficial to the industry as it was done mostly in secret and gave Banks Holdings veto powers even with minority shares (47%). Other growers countered the sale was justified because the investors would bring in money to reduce debt, introduce value added products and boost market potential in the Caribbean thus reducing dependability on the US market. The selling of the shares brought distrust and discord within the citrus industry. The honeymoon period was over and at this point “Citrus Politics” became a buzz word for the next few years.
In 2007, ten growers and companies resigned from the CGA and challenged the constitutionality of cess, which is a fee deducted from payments for fruit at the factory. At the time the CGA charged a “voluntary fee” of $0.13 per box of orange, and $0.10 per box of grapefruit. The fee was to run the business of the CGA including its research arm CREI – Citrus Research & Education Institute. The group challenged the Citrus Processing and Production Act, Chapter 277, which they claim violated their constitutional rights by forcing them to belong to the CGA and pay cess. The Supreme Court declared that the cess was unconstitutional. These growers later consented to paying a management fee instead, so that the CGA could have funds to continue its research and provide services for growers.
During this time the citrus industry faced some of its most serious challenges. Such as low citrus prices compared to other citrus producing countries even with the quality of its fruit being superior. The cost of fertilizers and other farm inputs skyrocketing combined with no plan by the government to build citrus roads for expansion of the industry as in the north for the cane industry. And fuel not being subsidized for farmers, except in small quantities at the CGA compound, especially given the significant contribution this agro-industry provides the country in foreign exchange. Matters intensified as the Citrus Growers and Workers Credit Union which had opened in March 1999; was facing serious cash flow problems. The Central Bank became the regulator for credit unions in 2005 and said it was already insolvent by that time.
The biggest challenge though, was the detection of the Asian Citrus Psyllid (Diaphorina citri) in 2005. They are the tiny insects who are the vectors that transfers the citrus greening from an infected tree to a healthy tree. Later in 2009 Citrus Greening disease, also known by its Chinese name HuangLongBing (HLB) or Yellow Dragon Disease was confirmed in Belize. The disease was detected in the Hopkins and Maya Center Area and as it began to show a visible presence in the plants. The disease has been labeled as the worst disease to afflict citrus, since there is no cure, and groves of trees have been known to decline within 1 to 10 years of being infected. The HLB bacteria disrupt the flow of nutrients within the plant, making the plant less and less efficient, at which point the foliage turns from green to yellow the plant ultimately dies. There is no variety of citrus plant that is resistant to the disease regardless of root stock.
The citrus growers in Belize were shell shocked because soon after the disease was discovered in Brazil in 2004 and Florida in 2005, they lost millions of citrus trees to the disease. Large acres of infected citrus groves in Florida were abandoned. It was speculated that the disease entered Belize via imported bud root or via wind distribution of the insects in a hurricane.
The Citrus Research and Education Institute (CREI) devised a plan to save the citrus industry by cutting down all citrus nursery’s that were planted in the ground that were not in bags off the ground. The farmers were told to register all nurseries after which unbeknownst to them Belize Agriculture and Health Authority (BAHA) vested with the authority to destroy the plants would visit the registered nurseries with the Police department in December 2010 to cut down and burn the nurseries. The farmers were up in arms but the Government had to act in the interest of the public to save the healthy trees. All certified citrus nurseries are now planted in bags off the ground and in green houses to reduce the chances of the bacteria affecting the plants and an early stage.
In July 2009 seven major players in the industry resigned from the Citrus Growers Association to form the Belize Citrus Mutual by early 2010. These 7 growers were responsible for about 40% of citrus production in the country while CGA represented the other 492 members. There were about 1,000 members in the year 2000 but the number had declined for various reasons, such as the fall in prices, unbearable debts, the sale of farms and young person’s not wanting to continue caring for family farms. The two sides were split on everything including how to combat citrus greening.
In February 2010 there were protest in the industry when CGA members demanded the removal of three then CPBL directors. This was not possible because although CGA had majority shares they did not have veto power because of a stipulation in 2006 sale to the Caribbean investors. The continued rivalry negatively affected the industry as the stalemate did not alleviate the constant cash flow challenges that affected the industry at every payment period. The Government was constantly injecting working capital so that payments could be made to farmers. In 2011 because of the decrease in fruit deliveries, CPBL management proposed to concentrate primary processing activities at the factory at Alta Vista while limiting the Pomona factory to blending and packing functions. There were more protests in November 2012 in front of the Pomona facility during the visit of some Bank Holdings officials.
In February 2014, the Government unveiled a proposal where the Belize Social Security Board would inject 24 million to give CPBL working capital and write off CGA’s debt in exchange for 10 percent of CGA’s 51 percent shares in CPBL. With that share-swap, the CGA had 41 percent shares in CPBL, while Banks Holdings became the biggest shareholder with nearly 47 percent of the shares. The seven member CPBL board, which had been deemed to be the root of the 7-year dilemma was restructured to include 2 persons nominated by CGA, 2 persons nominated by Banks Holdings Limited; 1 person nominated by Heritage Bank; 1 person nominated by SSB and 1 person – independent and impartial – to be nominated by the Government of Belize.
By the end of that year CGA and Banks Holdings agreed to quash a controversial clause in the courts which had provided them with veto powers on the CPBL board, as part of an arrangement to move the embattled industry forward. Both parties were now on board in terms of fighting the devastating HuangLongBing (HLB) or citrus greening disease, which had continued to ravage several citrus orchards in southern Belize.
The Citrus Research and Education Institute (CREI), which is over 50 years old, has been taking the lead in controlling the spread of HLB, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to partner with a US university in order to effectively manage the disease and ensure the survival of the industry. The CGA has composed a replanting program to be able to renew citrus trees in order to boost citrus production from the current average of 4.7 million boxes to about 8 million boxes per year. To accomplish this 400,000 new citrus trees will need to be planted. The seedlings for these trees will be produced by a spinoff company of the CGA, the Plant World Nursery Limited, a separate legal entity located at mile 32 on the Southern Highway, on the Red Bank Road. It is a 4 million-dollar nursery project comprising of the 3 largest greenhouses in Belize each measuring 1 acre each.
There are challenges in any endeavor in life and throughout its more than 100-year history, the citrus industry has seen many more ups than downs. It has seen hurricanes, droughts, floods, the citrus trizteza virus, the Mexican fruit fly, good leadership and bad leadership – and the industry has survived. The people of the valley are citrus farmers now and were banana farmers before that. They are blue-collar workers who will band together in the face of adversity to protect their livelihood. The annual application for working capital in the form of short term loans at high interest rates can be avoided with a leadership that is farmer-centric and not just business centric. While the citrus greening disease conundrum will require nothing less than a unified approach from Government, the Citrus Research and Education Institute, the different citrus associations and most importantly the growers themselves.
There are bright spots on the horizon as the Social Security Board has earmarked money for the replanting program and loans are made available at reduced rates to encourage farmers of the younger generation to enter the industry. Since 2013 the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations have begun to use a biological control program to manage the Asian Citrus Psyllid vector in the form of wasps. The 2016-2017 crop year have seen the highest pound solids payment to date. While on the world scene, because of Brexit, there is potential for Belize to export fresh oranges to Britain as the UK no longer need to adhere to the European food and plant safety regulations. Research have shown that GMO citrus trees in Florida are displaying total resistance to the greening disease. The challenge will be for the farmers to decide if that is a direction they are willing to take or if they are ready to diversify into a totally new industry as they have done before, over 100 years ago. History have shown that the people of the Valley will make the right choice when that time comes.
There are bright spots on the horizon as the Social Security Board has earmarked money for the replanting program and loans are made available at reduced rates to encourage farmers of the younger generation to enter the industry. Since 2013 the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations have begun to use a biological control program to manage the Asian Citrus Psyllid vector in the form of wasps. The 2016-2017 crop year have seen the highest pound solids payment to date. While on the world scene, because of Brexit, there is potential for Belize to export fresh oranges to Britain as the UK no longer need to adhere to the European food and plant safety regulations. Research have shown that GMO citrus trees in Florida are displaying total resistance to the greening disease. The challenge will be for the farmers to decide if that is a direction they are willing to take or if they are ready to diversify into a totally new industry as they have done before, over 100 years ago. History have shown that the people of the Valley will make the right choice when that time comes.
There were two type of worker houses in Pomona, Alta Vista and Middlesex. Small one bedroom houses called "worker houses" for families while migrants bunked four per room in barracks.