1. The Pesticides Control Board, in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources &
Agriculture, the Belize Agricultural Health Authority and the Taiwan Technical Mission in
Belize hereby invites you (or your representative) to attend the launch of the GOOD PESTICIDE
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES - FARMER RECOGNITION INITIATIVE (GPMP-FRI).
This event is to be held on Wednesday 5 December 2012 at 9:30 a.m. at the Pesticides Control
Board Secretariat compound in Central Farm, Cayo District.
The GPMP-FRI is a collaborative initiative being implemented with a group of volunteer farmer
collaborators from all over Belize who are involved full-time in small to medium scale
horticulture production for the local market. The initiative features a farmer assistance
programme for capacity building in good agricultural practices as it relates to pesticide
management, a monitoring and sample collection programme and the rapid bioassay analysis of
samples for pesticide residues.
The GPMP-FRI will commence with a group of forty-one volunteer farmer collaborators and a
team of twelve inspectors who will work to achieve the objective of the initiative which is to
promote best pesticide management practices within a system for monitoring and evaluating
pesticide use at the farm level.
This initiative is expected to improve the competitiveness of participating local farmers through
a scheme which will award public recognition to those in compliance with the GPMP-FRI’s
requirements, while increasing farmers’ awareness of rational pesticide use within the larger
scope of farm food safety and good agricultural practices.
Lunch and snacks will be provided.
We look forward to your presence at the launch of this most important initiative. Kindly confirm
your participation with XXXXXXXX
Sincerely,
Miriam Ochaeta-Serrut, MA
Registrar of Pesticides
Pesticides Control Board