Tuesday, December 13, 2011

CEDA GRANTS CLOSE APPLICATIONS BY NOVEMBER 28TH., 2011



WHOOPS! JUST SAW THE DATE I THOUGHT WAS DECEMBER 28TH, IS NOVEMBER 28TH AND ALREADY CLOSED. CÉST LA VIE ON THAT ONE.


THERE IS SOMETHING CALLED CEDA GRANTS AVAILABLE THIS MONTH FROM THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS. Just read about it in Belize Ag Report magazine.

The amounts are a minimum EU 5000 and maximum of EU 30,000. Since this is a bureaucratic thing, my long experience with Government in the past, is that these grants will go to bureaucratic people, family or relatives, or those politically connected. The closing date is Dec. 28th. I may look at it later. But hate wasting time on useless bureaucratic red tape endeavors.
I´ve still got a week or so of travelling around Guatemala to do, now postponed until January, pending notification of a real order for hammocks, to look at hammock making and also more important, trying to find a factory making hammock string in Guatemala. Going to be relatively expensive. A TV TALK SHOW with John Woods was informative, in that KOLBE PRISON down in Hattieville are looking for jobs for prisoners, to support their outside families. Making hammocks would do that. Hope a big steady order comes through for hammocks from the USA. My original intention was to provide poverty alleviation for single mothers around here making hammocks. We shall see how it goes. I´m already out $1120 USA, in start up costs. The nylon hammock string shipment from China took over a year to get here, and turned out to be sewing machine thread for clothes. The Guatemala City shipment I paid and ordered, turned out to be plastic tying line tape like rolls for agriculture work. Totally unsuitable. I relied on that factory to send me suitable stuff and got ripped off.
Still a lot of ground work and organizing to do, once an order for hammocks comes in. A GRANT would come in helpful.

__________________________________________________

HAMMOCK MAKING BUSINESS ON HALT FOR HOLIDAY SEASON.
HAMMOCK MAKING ENTREPRENURIAL BUSINESS AT A DEAD STOP UNTIL JANUARY ON MY SIDE OF THE DEAL

My friend, a young man from Benque Viejo who was wanting to be an entrepreneur, changed his mind apparently. Decided he would be better off with a salaried job. Disappeared! Cést la vie. In the meantime, I´m out about $1120 dollars in start up costs, and haven´t got it resolved yet at all. The DISTRIBUTOR in the STATES received the hammock sample I sent him via mail. Took about a month to get there. He said he needed three weeks to test the markets and show the sample around to buyers. Also told me not to do anything else costing money until he has tested the waters. So through the holidays I will sit.
Saw a TV talk show with John Woods about the prison system. From what he said, should be able to get prisoners to make hammocks, like they do in MEXICO? At the moment I still do not have a supply source for the hammock string. The string from CHINA turned out to be nylon thread and took a year to reach me in Belize. The hammock string I ordered from Guatemala City, turned out to be useless rolls of tying polypropylene line used for AGRICULTURE and unsuitable for making hammocks. Took about a month to get that deliver also, via various problems. 4 days for the actual delivery to Melchor de Menchos, by bus freight transport. Right now, am waiting on the market orders to solidify, before I go any further.
Posted by A Professional BEACH BUM retires in Belize! at 9:07 AM 0 comments

No comments: