By George Henry, Gleaner WriterMALVERN, St. Elizabeth:
SEVERAL FARMERS in St. Elizabeth are still counting their losses following heavy rains and strong winds associated with hurricane Charley, which lashed mostly southern parishes on Wednesday night.
Among the crops that were extensively damaged are melons, tomatoes, cantaloupes, cauliflower, and broccoli, but more so condiments such as sweet peppers, escallion and thyme.
Claude Taylor, a fruit and vegetable farmer in Flagaman, told Farmers Weekly that although his assessment was not yet complete, his losses were already amounting to more than $150,000.
"I got a very hard beating from the hurricane in the one day," he said, noting that two of his three farms were extensively damaged. He said the tomatoes on one farm were to be reaped in the next two weeks.
"That garden and another which had some cantaloupe amounted to over four acres and that would run me a lot of money in losses," said Mr. Taylor.
Yvonne Ebanks, also from Flagaman, St. Elizabeth, has been farming for more than 15 years. She said that she has lost one acre of tomato, half acre of cantaloupe and a significant amount of escallion and onion.
REAL VALUE
"It is hard to tell now what is the real value (off the losses), but I am on my face now," she said.
She also said that five persons who were employed on her farm are now out of a job due to the disaster, but she said that she, too, had a difficulty to provide for her family, especially given that her husband is diabetic and is unable to work.
Mrs. Ebanks said consumers would be severely affected by the imminent shortage of some fruits and vegetables and noted that as a result they should expect price increases.
The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) reported on Thursday that it would be conducting surveys in the ravaged communities to assess the damage created by the disaster.
But Mrs. Ebanks said yesterday, "I hope that when RADA carries out their assessment, they will visit me because over the years despite serious losses due to bad weather, I have never been visited by them."
One escallion farmer in Ballards Valley in the parish also reported that his farm was extensively damaged.
Lenworth Blake, Member of Parliament for South East St. Elizabeth, is also expected to tour several of the affected farms along with officers from RADA.
Four weeks ago, St. Elizabeth farmers were fearing the worst for their crops because of a prolonged period of drought that was affecting several communities.
But, according to Mr. Taylor, farmers were now in an even more serious position, as they have even lost the grass in the heavy rains, which is usually used to mulch their crops to retain the moisture in the soil during periods of drought.
