BelizeCitrus.org
Title
Belize Citrus Growers Association - grower representation for quality citrus production in Belize
Description
The citrus industry is the most significant agro-industry in Belize. It earned more than US$50.6 million for the country in the 2003/2004 crop year. Although Belize's production is tiny compared to the citrus giants (Brazil and US), Belize' production per capita is $US181 / head, the highest of any country and hence a high national dependency on the crop.
The Stann Creek Valley is the traditional heart of the Belizean citrus industry (where grapefruit trees were planted in 1926) with over 75% of farmers (approximately 750 growers) in the area being involved in the cultivation of the crop, the majority of those managing below 10 acres. Citrus production in Belize has now expanded into the other Districts of Belize and can now be seen in the west of the country in the Cayo District and in the southern most part of the country in the Toledo District. Approximately 48,000 acres of citrus are cultivated in Belize, Valencia orange (80%) and grapefruit (20%) being the principal crops, with small amounts of early oranges, limes, tangerines and lemons, which are processed into Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate (FCOJ) by the two factories. The industry supports the livelihoods of approximately 1,000 farm families (there are 1,000 registered growers) and approximately 10,000 citrus industry workers. The largest 65 growers (above 100 acres) are responsible for 75% of the production. There is a growing interest is the export of fresh fruit from Belize, small quantities are being exported to the UK and Germany.
In October 2002 the Citrus Growers Association acquired majority ownership of the two processing factories, jointly known as Citrus Products of Belize Limited. This means that that all aspects of citrus production in Belize, from the tree planting to fruit processing to product selling are now grower owned and managed.
