_{Hon. Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture}

By Charles Gladden

BELMOPAN, Tues. July 22, 2025

For some weeks there has been a shortage of coconuts in the country, which is a source of income for Belizeans who make and sell coconut oil or bottles of coconut water.

“The cottage level processors, those who do the whole coconut oil in the backyard, have been experiencing a shortage of dry coconuts. Those who sell green coconuts on the street side are also having difficulty getting green coconuts,” said Hon. Jose Mai, Minister of Agriculture.

According to Minister Mai, the country has an estimated 18 thousand acres of coconut under production, and there are another 3,000 acres of coconut trees that will start producing fruits early next year. Nonetheless, the demand for coconuts has outpaced the rate at which coconuts are being grown and harvested.

“The Guatemalans are buying all our dry coconuts. We’ve sold close to 800,000 coconuts, which has created a shortage for the cottage-level processors,” he mentioned.

“The green coconuts … Silk Grass is buying many of the products in the southern part of Belize for bottling and exporting to the Caribbean. In the local market, fresh drinking water is going very well, and so the demand is high. We have also established a market in Mexico for green coconuts, which we haven’t tried at this time. We are retrofitting the BMDC’s packing plant in Orange Walk. We are about to get that ready. Maybe next week we’ll be ready to start to receive coconuts, treat them, and put them in boxes to export to Mexico,” Minister Mai added.

One local entrepreneur, Jessica Reyes, owner of Reyes Organic Beauty, told reporters, “Two weeks ago, we got a restock from Silk Grass, but our small farmers can’t supply as yet, so we’re sticking to what Silk Grass provides us, and we’re on a waiting list for the other batch. The coconuts are still young, and they can’t give the oil, and it takes a process,” she said.

Reyes uses coconut oil to produce organic body soap, which is purchased by resorts and placed in gift shops and guest rooms.

“As a small entrepreneur, we always have to be prepared. I knew slow season was hitting soon, so I had to make batches of our soaps before. Whatever coconut oils I had, I invested in them through my wholesalers and my regular sales,” she said.

“We had to import our coconut oils as well, and we had to go to the Mexican side, and try to find vendors that would try to sell us, so that we can sustain ourselves, so we have a backup for now,” Reyes mentioned.

However, the duty that must be paid when bringing coconut oil from Mexico into the country is an additional expense that increases production costs for businesses like Reyes’s.