As concern over issues related to cost of living and consumers’ complaints about price gouging persist, the Government of Belize through the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and New Growth Industries have been tasked to enhance efforts to address these issues. To this end, the government has provided the Supplies Control Unit with increased capacity to deliver inspection services on behalf of consumers. The Unit’s staff complement has more than doubled from 5 to 11 personnel and regional offices expanded from two to four with two new offices opened in Orange Walk Town and Independence Village.

From June 9th to 11th, personnel of the Supplies Control Unit benefitted from specialized training to equip them with the tools necessary to conduct comprehensive and effective enforcement inspections in the market to identify violations of the Supplies Control (Prices) regulations. The training covered elements such as; The Constitution, Origins of Law, Evidence Gathering, and other aspects relevant to the Unit’s mandate. This capacity building training was facilitated by the National Police Training Academy through the support of the CEO of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Enterprise and the Commissioner of Police. The Ministry of Agriculture takes this opportunity to thank the Belize Police Department and the National Police Training Academy for its support in building the capacity of the trainees. Personnel of the Belize Bureau of Standards and the Ministry of Agriculture also benefited from the training.