Belize is just days away from signing a new trade agreement with El Salvador, one officials say will open doors for Belizean farmers and businesses looking beyond the country’s traditional markets.
Cabinet gave the green light Thursday for Belize to sign, and later formally approve, a Partial Scope Agreement with El Salvador. Government says the deal forms part of Belize’s strategy “to diversify export markets, deepen economic integration with Latin America, and strengthen trade and investment opportunities for Belizean businesses.” The signing itself is set for July 2nd in San Salvador.
The agreement did not happen overnight. Talks between Belize and El Salvador formally began in December 2024, when the first round of negotiations took place at a ceremony in Belmopan. By the third round of talks in August, negotiators had agreed on every chapter of the agreement, with just two annexes left to finalise.
Agriculture has been a key focus throughout the process. Back in March, Agriculture Minister Rodwell Ferguson met with Guatemalan officials to work out how Belizean farm products would move through Guatemala on their way to markets in El Salvador. The discussions included plans for a memorandum of understanding between Belize and El Salvador, which would identify exactly what products would be covered.
The trade deal also comes as Belize prepares to take over the rotating presidency of the Central American Integration System (SICA) starting in July, a role that lets the country help set the regional agenda on everything from trade to disaster preparedness for the next six months.
Prime Minister John Briceño met on Thursday with El Salvador’s Vice President Félix Ulloa, posting the same day Cabinet issued its press release, stating that the two discussed “strengthening cooperation, deepening our partnership, and exploring new opportunities for collaboration that will deliver mutual benefits to the people of Belize and El Salvador.”
Officials say El Salvador is a promising market because the country imports much of its food.
