November 19, 2015
Viral disease hits Belize shrimp industry
Authorities from the Ministry of Agriculture of Belize have informed the media that a viral infection is causing serious losses to the shrimp farming industry.
Although the news has just been released, representatives of the sector revealed that the disease had started spreading several months ago.
According to the president of the Shrimp Growers Association, Alvin Henderson, the disease has affected more than half of the 15 shrimp farms located in the south of the Central American country, which have been forced to shut down operations.
"We had a disease incident in the country which began in March of this year, which is something that we didn't have for 14 years. In terms of impact on hard currency earnings, you will probably see a decline of about 30%," Henderson told local media.
Sources from the ministry detailed the infection had been transmitted by birds that harbour around the shrimp farms and had caused the loss of millions of dollars in the past weeks. Official data revealed that losses are in the range of US$30 million.
Source: www.cnchemicals.com/