By Aaron Humes: The Statistical Institute of Belize reports that for the period October to December 2025, goods produced by the primary sector were valued at an estimated $180.3 million, representing an increase of $13.4 million or 8.0 percent, from $167.0 million recorded for the same period in 2024.
This growth in primary sector activity was driven by increased outputs of bananas, grains and other crops, along with greater marine exports. Banana production rose by 19.8 percent, from 19.0 thousand metric tons to 22.8 thousand metric tons, while outputs of yellow corn and red kidney beans also improved during the quarter (see Figure 3). The fishing industry expanded by 8 percent, due to a 6.6 percent increase in shrimp exports, coupled with an 8.3 percent rise in exports of other marine products, primarily lobster tails and lobster meat.
On the other hand, citrus production declined by 18.8 percent, from 2.6 thousand metric tons in the fourth quarter of 2024 to 2.1 thousand metric tons in the fourth quarter of 2025, due to differences in the timing of harvests between the two years. Additionally, while 18.3 thousand metric tons of sugarcane were harvested in the fourth quarter of 2024, none was harvested during the same period in 2025.
Livestock production contracted by 1.5 percent, as cattle output declined by 2.2 percent, from 14.1 thousand heads to 13.8 thousand heads, and pig production decreased by 4.3 percent, from 13.2 thousand heads to 12.6 thousand heads. Poultry production remained relatively unchanged for the quarter. Petroleum extraction was also down by 8.3 percent, from 38.6 thousand barrels in the fourth quarter of 2024 to 35.4 thousand barrels in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The post Bananas, marine products lead agriculture sector growth appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Aaron Humes: The Statistical Institute of Belize reports that for the period October to December 2025, goods produced by the primary sector were valued at an estimated $180.3 million, representing an increase of $13.4 million or 8.0 percent, from $167.0 million recorded for the same period in 2024. This growth in primary sector activity
The post Bananas, marine products lead agriculture sector growth appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.