Agro and Food Processing

Belize’s long-standing agricultural tradition makes agro-processing and food processing investments highly attractive. Proximity to North, Central, and South American, and Caribbean markets offers easy access to key consumers. Abundant productive land supports diverse agricultural commodities, creating excellent prospects for both input provision and output processing.

Agribusiness remains fundamental to Belize’s economy, driving growth in local productive sectors.  Traditional agricultural products (citrus, bananas, sugarcane) are being strategically diversified to include sectors such as agro-processing, aquaculture, grains, cacao, coffee, renewable energy crops (sorghum, sugarcane), and organic farming.

Agro-Processing and Food Processing Overview

• • Agricultural and Organic Commodities: Grains (rice, corn), legumes (assorted beans), assorted vegetables, fruits (sugarcane, banana, pitaya, pineapple, coconut)
  • Livestock Farming: Dairy, cattle meat production, sausages, and other value-added products
  • Biofuel Production: Biodiesel, feedstock production (sugarcane, sorghum, jatropha)
  • Agro-processing: Fruit juice, condiments, dehydrated fruit snacks, coconut and soybean oil, chocolate, gluten-free flours, wines
  • Agricultural Inputs: Fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides

Competitive Advantages:

• • Strategic Location: Proximity to North, Central, and South American, and Caribbean markets.
  • Arable Land: Over 1,998,230 acres (38% of total land area) suitable for agriculture.
  • Organic and Eco-Labeling: Well-positioned for organic and eco-labeled production, capitalizing on consumer demand for quality and distinctiveness.
  • Workforce: Abundant pool of skilled and vibrant workers.
  • Water Temperature: Year-round mild average water temperature of 80°F (27°C).
  • Preferential Market Access: Access to European Union, CARICOM, and Caribbean Basin Initiative (USA) markets, and favorable trading relationships with Central American nations.

Preferential Market Access: Access to markets in the European Union, CARICOM, and the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), plus favorable trading relationships with Central American nations. (This version uses the acronym for the Caribbean Basin Initiative, which is common and saves space. “Plus” is slightly less formal than “along with.

Investment Opportunities
 It is proven that regardless of how advanced the technology may be, “food” remains the indispensable need that overrides other priorities in our daily lives. As such, the Government of Belize has been relentlessly assigning high emphasis on securing ac

cess to foods, while encouraging the trading of viable national surpluses for long-term diversity.

Additional opportunities include:

• • Production of raw produce (Agri-produce, organic Agri-produce, aquaculture)
  • Production of non-traditional products:  hydroponics, Greenhouse commodities.
  • Value-addition to Agri-produce and livestock
  • Biofuel (power generation, ethanol, biodiesel)
  • Production of inputs (Agri-inputs [e.g., organic fertilizer], packaging)
  • Provision of storage and export-handling facilities for agro–products (mobile and fixed)
  • Transportation and delivery of end produce to consumers (local and export)
  • European Union, CARICOM nations, Caribbean Basin Initiatives (USA), favourable trading relationships with Central American nations.