The agriculture sector has borne the brunt of the recent natural disaster. In response, the Ministry of Agriculture has initiated a comprehensive assessment process to quantify the damages and develop effective strategies to assist farmers in their recovery efforts.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security, and Rural Development, Hon. Alfred Prospere, who made a site visit to the affected regions expresses heartfelt empathy for the affected farmers, acknowledging their dedication and resilience in the face of adversity.
“ We had a situation in region four where 1400 chicks were completely lost by that farmer, 18 greenhouses were damaged 41 acres of vegetables were impacted. Also, in the sea moss subsector, you know how the tide was, a lot of the damage was to the Atlantic side which is where we have most of our sea moss farmers, and a lot of those farmers suffered damage as a result of the storm surge, so the agriculture sector is in a bad situation, especially our banana sector where we were struggling a bit to meet the demand of the market where we are expected to supply about 15000 boxes per week and we are only half of that, so certainly that storm would have been a setback for our farmers.”
Tropical Storm Bret led, to substantial losses and disruptions across various Agricultural sub-sectors. Minister Prospere further reassures the agriculture community that their welfare remains a top priority for the government and pledged unwavering commitment to the revitalization of the agricultural sector.
“It is extremely important that the farmers get some level of support, I am not in a position to say what level of support will be given to them because we are still collecting information, we are still collecting data, and as I said it is a preliminary assessment of the situation and as soon as we get all the details all the information, I’m certainly sure that cabinet will be in a situation to decide as to what sort of support will be given to the farmers, ”noted Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security, and Rural Development, Hon. Alfred Prospere,
He explains that by collecting information and data to conduct a thorough assessment, the government will be able to determine the appropriate level of support that should be extended to the farmers in need. The assessment conveyed that 75% of banana farms have been damaged.
To restore resilience, prosperity and boost sustainable growth in the agricultural sector, affected farmers must resort to collective efforts and unifying strategies.
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