By Zoila Palma: Belize has taken another step toward strengthening food security with the official opening of the Green Valley Oil soybean refinery in Spanish Lookout, Cayo District, today.
The facility is expected to increase the value of locally produced soybeans by refining crude soybean oil into cooking oil for the domestic market.
The refinery, an investment by Quality Feed Mill under Quality Poultry Products, represents approximately BZ$15 million in investment. It has the capacity to process up to 12,000 litres of oil daily and could supply an estimated 60% of Belize’s cooking oil demand when operating at full capacity.
For years, Belize has relied heavily on imported cooking oil despite becoming self-sufficient in soybean production.
The country now plants between 28,000 and 32,000 acres of soybeans annually, producing an estimated 50 million to 65 million pounds. However, much of the crude oil extracted during animal-feed production previously had to be exported at low prices because local refining capacity was limited.
The opening of Green Valley Oil is expected to help reduce dependence on imported cooking oil, create employment and strengthen the local agricultural industry.
Minister of Agriculture Rodwell Ferguson said the refinery would add value to Belizean soybeans, while Senior Advisor Hugh O’Brien recognized the contributions of farmers, CARDI, successive agriculture ministers and the Spanish Lookout community to the industry’s development.
The post Green Valley Oil refinery marks major step toward Belize’s cooking oil self-sufficiency appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: Belize has taken another step toward strengthening food security with the official opening of the Green Valley Oil soybean refinery in Spanish Lookout, Cayo District, today. The facility is expected to increase the value of locally produced soybeans by refining crude soybean oil into cooking oil for the domestic market. The refinery,
The post Green Valley Oil refinery marks major step toward Belize’s cooking oil self-sufficiency appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.