Belize minister bullish on Wambugu apple research at CASE

BELIZE’S Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and New Growth Industries Rodwell Ferguson believes research into the cultivation of the Wambugu apple at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) in Portland, could provide a valuable blueprint for other Caricom countries seeking to diversify local agricultural production and strengthen food security. Ferguson expressed this view during a visit to CASE on October 1, where he inspected the fruit first-hand as part of efforts to assess its potential for cultivation in Belize. The minister said his interest was sparked by the prospect of cultivating apples in tropical climates, noting that the fruit has traditionally been associated with colder regions and temperate growing conditions. “I was told apples can only grow in cold temperatures… and so it is always imported from the USA [and] Canada. This would be a significant step forward if we can get it grown in the region. People across the world eat apples… they eat grapes. So, it would be good [if] we could grow [them] in Belize and [make them] marketable,” Ferguson told JIS News. He was in Jamaica to attend the Caribbean Week of Agriculture 2026, which was held at the Ocean Coral Spring Resort in Trelawny from September 27 to October 2. Ferguson was accompanied on the visit to CASE by managing director of Summit Apple Orchards, home of My Jamaican Food Forest, Latoya Panton, who explained that the company imports and distributes Wambugu apples from Kenya to Jamaica and other Caribbean islands. “My aim, when I first started bringing these apples in, was to see [them] being grown across the Caribbean,” said Panton. She indicated that the Wambugu apple has been performing well in Jamaica, with farmers and backyard gardeners successfully cultivating the fruit. According to Panton, the next step is to scale up production to levels that would support exportation. “We have been harvesting fruits and, for me, I would just love to see more farmers coming on board and planting… and for us to get to a commercial level with the apple,” she said. Meanwhile, Ferguson called for increased investment in agricultural research, citing Brazil as an example of how innovation can contribute to food self-sufficiency and export expansion. “They create the environment to be able to make everything grow. So Brazil is self-sufficient and they are exporting to every part of the world. We can do likewise in the Caribbean… [but] we need to do the research, because whatever is going on in other parts of the world, if we do the research, we can do it in the Caribbean,” argued Ferguson — JIS