Grower Services

Administrative, Financial and Sales Division (AFS) Services:
The AFS division of CGA provides quality services to growers to improve productivity. The Administrative Services accesses funds for on-lending to growers to finance their grove operations. In addition, CGA negotiates the best fruit prices for growers and makes sure that growers are well represented both in the national and international citrus communities.

1. Grower Representation: CGA ensures that growers are fairly represented in the citrus industry at all levels of activities. Fruit prices are negotiated with the processors in order for growers to get paid fairly for their fruit. CGA assists in securing markets, lobbying for Government policies that are in the best interest of growers, represent Belizean citrus growers at national and international meetings.



2. Financial Assistance: is provided to growers through low interest credit programs. There are four credit or loan programs offered to members of CGA:
   
   
   1. Social Security: This credit line is offered to growers who produce more than 20,000 boxes of orange and grapefruit averaged over two crop years. Growers who produce 20,000 to 50,000 boxes of citrus the maximum allowable credit is $1.00 per box of citrus produced. Growers who produce over 50,000 boxes of citrus the maximum credit is $2.00 per box of citrus produced. The interest is 10.5 % for one year crop loans and 11% for two or three year loans.
   
   
   
   2. Revolving Fund: Growers with 20,000 to 50,000 boxes of production can access this fund up to a maximum of $1.00 per box of fruit. Growers with less than 20,000 boxes of production can access funds up to a maximum of $2.00 per box of fruit produced. The interest for this credit is 5.5% per annum.
   
   
   
   3. European Investment Bank/ CGA/Development Finance Corporation citrus replanting loans: There is $5,000,000 for the "large-loan category" and another $5,000,000 available for "small loans". The interest is 8% for 10 years with 4 years grace at the implementation of the project. This is for replanting of old groves on sour orange rootstock which are susceptible to Citrus Tristeza Virus and those on Swingle rootstock that is declining.
   
   
   
   4. Short term credit: members can get credit for 30 days without interest.



3. Sales: Growers can purchase cost price agrochemical inputs and fuel (diesel) at the CGA offices. Diesel sales are cash only sales (payment is due at the time of purchase).



4. Machinery Hireage: This service is used mainly by the small-scale grower who can not afford to own machinery to transport fruit to the factories (Fruit Haulage) and to maintain their groves free of weeds (bush-hogging).

CREI Programmes:
To achieve its Mission, CREI's work is focused on the following top-three priorities:

1. improved grove nutrition
2. the provision of healthy planting material
3. the provision of information

1. Extension & Education
2. The Belize Citrus Certification Programme
3. The Belize Citrus Information Unit

1. Extension & Education Programme: technology development is facilitated through monthly 'Citrus Village Group Meetings'. Every month, growers across the citrus belt meet with CREI Extension Officers to discuss grove management problems, share knowledge and experiences and plan small-scale experiments. A main focus of our work is the development of an understanding of grove fertilizer and liming requirements and to facilitate this, the lab at CREI processes leaf and soil samples for nutrient analysis abroad.



2. Belize Citrus Certification Programme (BCCP): ensures that growers know where in Belize they can purchase the best quality planting material. This system of nursery certification is ensuring that plants are propagated according to a set of internationally approved practices and that the bud-wood used for plant production is free-from graft-transmissible diseases such as Citrus Tristeza Virus (CTV), Exocortis and Psorosis. These and other diseases are tested using biochemical and bio-indexing techniques in the CREI laboratory. The BCCP also hold 29 varieties of citrus in its germplasm collection, keeps and eye on the world-wide distribution of citrus diseases, particularly disease that are exotic to Belize and works with quarantine officials to ensure that they remain exotic.



3. Information Unit: works to document and disseminate relevant industry information. It maintains a database to store reliable grower and industry data.The unit is also responsible for producing the national forecast and other statistical data. All CGA publications come under the charge of this unit. The monthly newsletter, CitroScope, documents the experiences gained through the Citrus Village Groups. The quarterly news magazine, CitriNews, deals with issues in greater depth. Additionally, the unit produces a number of topic-specific brochures and manuals, maintains the Belize Citrus Library (which holds a collection of books and periodicals on citrus production), and maintains and continues with the development of this website.