John Myers Jr., Staff ReporterALREADY SUFFERING from the effects of three hurricanes, several floods and a long drought, the country's agricultural sector is again suffering damage from almost a week of heavy rains which lashed the island, triggering floods and landslides.
The Ministry of Agriculture and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) said the extent of the damage has not yet been determined, but preliminary assessments indicate that there was damage to sugar, coffee, vegetables and livestock. Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke said "bananas have not suffered too badly, there has been some flooding in low-lying areas. We have lost some ripe coffee berries, but again that is not too bad." He explained that the most significant problem with coffee was that most of the roads in the coffee-growing areas, especially in the Blue Mountains, were blocked.
SETBACKS
"The vegetables, especially like cabbage and tomatoes and watermelon, those are going to get setback," he said adding that there has been widespread flooding in the low-lying sugar growing areas of the island.
Albert Shand, executive director of RADA, told The Sunday Gleaner that just over 500 hectares of crops were damaged in the 'Breadbasket' parish of St. Elizabeth. This represents about one fifth of the 3,000 hectares of farm land under cultivation in the parish. He said the assessments from the other parishes have not yet been completed. However, Mr. Shand said a sizeable number of livestock has been presumed drowned on the plains of Clarendon due to widespread flooding.
