Wheat Trials Begin in Belize

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise is rolling out a research project on growing varieties of wheat in Belize.The project is being done in collaboration with the Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI). This varietal research program will be testing the performance of 100 open-pollinated varieties of wheat from two lines: one line that has tolerance to semi-arid conditions, and the other line with tolerance to high temperature conditions. These varieties were provided by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), based in Mexico, and the design of the research trials is being done in collaboration with CIMMYT. The High Temperature Wheat (HTW) yield trial is scheduled to be planted during the two planting seasons this year, July and December, and the Semi-Arid Wheat (SAW) yield trial will be planted in 2026. Experimental fields will be established in the Cayo and Orange Walk Districts. Preliminary results from the first planting of high-temperature wheat are expected by year-end. Last week, the Ministry and CARDI representatives met to finalize the trial’s design and programming. The Ministry says that the introduction of wheat trials aligns with its grain development strategy, aiming to provide farmers with new options and enhance competitiveness. Belize annually imports between 45 to 50 million pounds of wheat and 7 to 8 million pounds of wheat flour, totaling just under 30 million Belize dollars. This initiative is seen as a crucial step towards national food security and reducing the country’s import bill.