Senior representatives of the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise visited Quintana Roo as part of an Investment Exchange Programme, which entailed a familiarization tour to an industrial park and agro-processing facilities in the southern part of the Mexican state. Hon. Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise, led the Belize delegation.
This exchange programme between Belize and Mexico was organised by Mrs. Narda Garcia, Chief Executive Officer in the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Investment. CEO Garcia had previously participated in the LATAM Investment Summit held in Cancun in January 2022, where she met with the ministry’s Mexican counterpart, Secretaría de Desarrollo Económico de Quintana Roo, which expressed interest to improve communication and engage in greater collaboration with Belize to gather information on economic opportunities that could leverage economic synergies and facilitate development between Quintana Roo and Belize.
Day one of the working visit started in southern Quintana Roo with a visit to the Chetumal Industrial Park (Recinto Fiscal) where the Secretaría de Desarrollo Ecónomico de Quintana Roo hosted the Belize delegation and showcased Quintana Roo’s long-term vision for this innovative model of investment and trade promotion. The delegation also made visits to CAPSICO, an habanero processing facility for export located in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, and Limones del Caribe S.C. de RI de C.V., another plant located in Kancabchen, José María Morelos, Quintana Roo, which processes limes for export into the U.S. market. Both site visits were meant to enhance the Government of Belize’s understanding of the opportunities that may exist for diversifying and scaling up Belize’s agro-productive sector with a goal of growing the nation’s exports and industrial development.
Minister Mai was accompanied by CEO Narda Garcia; Mr. Servulo Baeza, CEO of the Ministry of Agriculture; and representatives from the Investment Policy and Compliance Unit (IPCU) in the Ministry of Investment, the Public-Private Desk in the Office of the Prime Minister, technical secretariat to the Economic Development Council (EDC), the Belize Marketing and Development Corporation (BMDC) and BELTRAIDE.
The visit to Mexico by Belize’s delegation will be followed by a two-day visit to Belize by the Secretaría de Desarrollo Ecónomico de de Quintana Roo. The Mexican delegation will visit several agro-processing facilities and key logistical infrastructure across the country.
