No pigtail deh! That's what food vendors around Belize City have been telling customers who are looking for the pigtail in their split peas or stew beans. And this shortage has been severely affecting those vendors who made most of their money from their pigtail dishes.

But now, with most - if not all - stores sold out, they're left wondering when they will be able to put pigtail back on their menu. Courtney Menzies spoke to three of these vendors and has the story.

If you're lucky enough to have pigtail in your kitchen right now, you may want to eat it sparingly. That's because there is a pigtail shortage, and reports are that there is none to be found here in Belize City.

So if you were looking forward to a hefty plate of boil up with a side of pigtail, you may be disappointed.

One restaurant owner, Miss Thelma from Thelma's Kitchen, said Friday will be her last day selling pigtail until she can restock.

Miss Thelma, Thelma's Kitchen
"That's Belize #1 dish, no pigtail no food. Everybody love pigtail, and when they want pigtail, they know where to come."

"It's really rough because the whole of Belize doesn't have pigtail and that's my number 1 money. That's what I make my money off of, pigtail, so right now it's slow because I have no pigtail."

"I covered all of Belize City and there's no pigtail. Yesterday I went to Ladyville and I found a little bit in a bucket in a store in Ladyville and that's how I got a little bit. So after this I won't have any pigtail."

And she's not the only one with this problem. Two other food vendors told us that they resorted to buying from the market - but with only one seller and a high demand, the price has skyrocketed.

Rosita Zelaya, K&R Kitchen
"I drive around all of Belize and I can't get pigtail anywhere. The only place I get pigtail is market and that's one vendor, the pigtail used to be $4 a pound, the pigtail reach to $7 a pound and you have no choice to pick your pigtail, you have to take what they give you."

Carrolyn Clarke, Shirlz Homestyle Cuisine
"You go around town and you can't find pigtail nowhere, there was only one spot in the market that had it and she sold out yesterday. So yesterday was my last day of cooking pigtail and I went this morning to try and get somewhere but sold out."

"Majority of the people that comes in and orders stew bean and split beans wants pigtail with it, so with no pigtail right now, I don't know, because this is my first day without pigtail, I don't know what's gonna happen."

And with a pigtail prices on the rise, the prices of the dishes will have to go up, as seen in Miss Thelma's Kitchen where the usual nine dollars for a pigtail plate has been scratched out replaced with the new price.

And she's not alone.

Rosita Zelaya, K&R Kitchen
"Yeah, I have to raise it because then everything high and then with raising it a dollar more, the people don't want it for $8 but they don't understand that the pigtail is up high. I used to give a tail for $7, a whole tail, now I have to cut down it into pieces, two piece for $8 and they don't want to pay that."

Carrolyn Clarke, Shirlz Homestyle Cuisine
"I was paying $6, $7 a pound at the market for pigtail and that's ridiculous."

Courtney Menzies:
"So if you do find pigtail and you still have to pay $7 a pound, you will eventually have to raise the price of your food."

Carrolyn Clarke, Shirlz Homestyle Cuisine
"Exactly, yes we will."

And while the other pork meat is available, without the coveted and craved pigtail, businesses such as those we visited will feel the pinch.

Miss Thelma, Thelma's Kitchen
"It affects me bad but we just have to work with it. I can't do nothing more about it, we just have to deal with it, so I use the chicken, the pork, beef, turkey, fish - so I just cook more of that."

One pigtail importer, Price Premier Products, told us yesterday that they have had trouble bringing in the product because production plants in the US almost ground to a halt during the pandemic.

However, they assured us that a shipment is coming into the country this week, and by the end of April, shelves - or rather buckets - countrywide will be fully stocked.

Belize's pigtail consumption per capita is considered among the highest in the Caribbean.

Channel 7

Pigtail Price Gouging

Yesterday we told you that Belize's favorite unhealthy delicacy was in short supply. Food vendors were beginning to worry that they would have to make their split beans and boil ups without pigtails.
This is because importers have been having a hard time getting the product from US farms due to COVID.

Bu the pigtail panic is over because one of the main importers, Price Premier Products got a shipment in this week, and it has already been distributed to retailers across the country. The representative added that another shipment will be coming in next Monday, and every week after that.

But she warns that the price increase that retailers have put on their pigtails is a clear act of price gouging. According to her, the retail price should be $5 per pound, which provides the retailer with a fair 20% profit since there is no GST.

Yesterday buyers told us they were paying up to $7.50 a pound. The Price Premiere Products representative said that and that in that case the retailer results in a 45% profit, which is taking advantage on a product that pays no GST.

Channel 7