Red Zone farmers reel from yet another blow to their livelihoods

Caesar said there was some damage to vegetable cultivation, but that plantains and bananas are the two crops which were mainly damaged by winds associated with the Tropical Storm.

“Bret has taken a lot of plantains off the market,” Caesar told SEARCHLIGHT.

Last week, plantains were selling for 80 cents per pound; the minister however predicted that this price could rise over the next few weeks as a result of the damage done by the storm.

Apart from the increased price, Minister Caesar said he has been advised by a senior technical officer within his ministry that “there would definitely be a certain level of scarcity of the commodity”.

While thanking God that this country was spared the worst, Minister Caesar admitted that the agriculture sector took a beating from Bret’s winds.

Since the all clear was given last Friday, technical officers from the Ministry of Agriculture have been out in the field conducting preliminary assessments to arrive at preliminary estimates of the damage suffered.

The minister was therefore unable to give a figure of the estimated loss to the plant sub-sector due to the Tropical Storm, noting that those calculations are still being done by officers from the Ministry.

Minister Caesar used the opportunity to express gratitude to the traffickers who purchase produce to export to Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.

He said recognizing the likely impact of the storm on plantains, the traffickers purchased more than their usual quota, buying plantains which had fallen but were almost ready for harvesting.

These were shipped to Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados on Monday.

It is projected that the price hike and possible scarcity of plantains could last up to three months.

Most of the affected plantain farms are located in the red zone on the Windward side of the island, which were battered during the 2021 eruptions of La Soufriere Volcano.

Minister Caesar said he did a tour of farms from Argyle to Fancy at the weekend.

Ironically, these affected farmers recently received a free supply of urea from Venezuela, and free fertilizer from Morocco to help in the rehabilitation of their holdings, and their crops were said to be rebounding nicely.

They replanted following their loss due to the eruptions, however, crop yields were minimal as heavy ashfall had altered the composition of the soil, and this was compounded by a post-eruption drought.

However, the farmers persevered and replanted and were preparing for a bountiful harvest when Tropical Storm Bret struck another blow last Thursday, June 22.

Minister Caesar gave an example of one farmer, Calvert Miller in North Windward, who is one of the largest plantain farmers in the country who suffered significant loss. He said National Properties Ltd, a significant producer of bananas, also suffered loss of about three-quarters of their banana cultivation.

With plantain and banana farmers left bewildered after the storm Minister Caesar said his ministry will be seeking to provide counselling to the affected farmers.

“We are looking into some counselling sessions with some of these farmers because the impact has gone beyond financial to psychological.”

The agriculture minister also thanked the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, for offering assistance through the SVG Red Cross Society.

That church is offering labour services to farmers as they attempt to rebound from yet another blow to their livelihoods.

“We are going to stand with the farmers, we shall rise again,” Caesar promised. It is expected that this week’s meeting of Cabinet will address the several issues arising from the impacts of the Tropical Storm.