Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green (Photo: Llewellyn Wynter)
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green, says the sector has suffered some $29.5 billion in losses following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
Green, who made the disclosure during a statement in Parliament on Tuesday, said approximately 41,390 hectares of farmland have been affected, impacting over 70,000 farmers. There was also a loss of approximately 1,251,410 animals, including small ruminants, poultry and cattle.
“In relation to domestic crops, we lost about 32,400 hectares of our vegetable lines, amounting to $8.8 billion in loss, affecting 47,500 farmers. The crops that were most significantly impacted include sweet pepper, tomato, lettuce, cabbage, carrot, and vine crops like melon and cantaloupe also suffered a significant blow,” the minister said.
Green further noted that banana and plantain crops, covering 2,450 hectares, have losses estimated at $2.9 billion, impacting 2,760 farmers. Meanwhile, he said fruit trees covering 1,870 hectares have damage estimated at $337 million, affecting some 4,500 farmers. Likewise, tuber crops such as yams and cassava, covering 4,670 hectares, have losses estimated at $4.5 billion, impacting some 6,120 farmers. The minister noted that almost 70 per cent of yam crops for this year have been lost.
“Coffee has sustained a 40 per cent damage to trees, with a 45 per cent loss of production. At an estimated value of $833.8 million,” the minister said.
For livestock, the minister advised that 458,000 layer birds were lost and 780,000 broilers were lost, amounting to $2 billion in losses.
“To put into perspective, Madam Speaker, for Hurricane Beryl, we lost about 300,000 birds. In this instance, we have lost over a million birds from Hurricane Melissa,” Green underscored.
Green said some 3,560 small ruminants, 5,600 pigs and 2,850 cattle have been lost, with combined losses of $3.1 billion. Meanwhile, the apiculture sector has identified the loss of over 2,000 bee colonies, amounting to $74.5 million.
In terms of infrastructure, Minister Green outlined that 38 greenhouses, covering 56,000 square feet, have been damaged, with losses estimated at $78 million.
Likewise, some 337.2 kilometres of farm roads have also been damaged, with repair costs estimated at $4.3 billion.
For the fisheries sector, Green said losses amounted to $5.76 billion, with infrastructure damage estimated at $2.74 billion. He explained that approximately 3,289 vessels were damaged (25 per cent of the national fleet) with losses estimated at $2.98 billion. The aquaculture sector also suffered $36 million in losses, affecting 41 per cent of fish farmers.
