Toledo agricultural marketing

The project will be implemented by the Belizean private sector (with TA from a U.S. PVO) and by the Belize Ministry of Agriculture. The private sector portion of the project includes four components. (1) PVO advisors will introduce new cash crops (specifically cocoa) and will help farmers" organizations (FO"s) manage cocoa processing and marketing activities. The advisors will assist farmers during the critical first 12 months of cocoa tree growth by performing demonstrations and making farm visits. The project will establish a central cocoa processing facility adjacent to the Big Falls rice mill, and may also help some farmers establish on-farm cocoa fermenting/drying units. (2) To increase the availability of land and labor for cocoa growing, the project will support adaptive research in and extension of improved postharvest technologies for rice (a potential export crop) and staple crops; preference will be given to farmers involved in cocoa growing. Postharvest crop losses are expected to decline by 20%. (3) Three FO"s will be helped to establish/operate marketing and input supply facilities for rice and cocoa. The project will fund an initial supply center, also adjacent to the Big Falls facility; contributions from the FO"s, along with a project revolving fund, will finance an initial inventory of inputs. The project will train FO personnel in pest management and chemical handling. Eventually, the center will be run by an advisory group made up of members of the three FO"s. (4) To help privatize the Big Falls rice mill, the FO"s will receive additional TA enabling them to partially or totally acquire the mill. In the public sector, the project will provide TA to privatize the Belize Marketing Board; this will involve transforming the Board from a grain processing and marketing agency into a price stabilization/marketing information entity. The project will also: (1) help renovate the Big Falls rice mill and make it attractive for private sector investment; and (2) provide agricultural training (technical through M.S. levels) to selected Toledo residents. Parallel assistance is being provided by the International Fund for Agricultural Development.