BELIZE IS SELF SUFFICIENT IN RICE PRODUCTION DUE TO TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FROM TAIWAN

Belize produces it's own commercial rice seed.  A program from Taiwan in the Toledo district produces comercial rice seed each year.  Three kinds of seed are produced.  CYPRESS rice seed for small mechanized farms and Belize produces more rice than we can consume.  For higher elevation, CARDI 70 is used in mechanized irrigated farms.  Also Tai Chung Sen 10 a sticky type rice for mechanized irrigated farms.  The production of rice seed took a long time to come to fruitation, but finally the goals were achieved.  There are now 650 rice farmers.  Belize no longer imports rice.  The whole program was a project of the Taiwanese Technical Mission.  Future assistance will be forthcoming in grading, packaging and marketing for export.