A special audit has been ordered into insurance claims submitted by coffee farmers for damage done to crops during Hurricane Ivan.

Oswald O'Meally, one of the trustees of the Coffee Farmers Insurance Fund, said the audit was ordered Wednesday during a meeting with the Coffee Industry Board (CIB).

He said the decision was made to conduct the audit in light of specific uncertainties surrounding the sum of claims submitted for settlement.

This meeting between the two entities follows complaints from coffee farmers that, despite the settlement some three weeks ago, there has been no word from the trustees as to when the payout of the proceeds would be made.

Payout

According to one coffee farmer, a dispute between the CIB and the trustees was preventing the payout. He said the CIB was refusing to provide certain information pertinent to determining the method to be used to make the payments to the farmers.

However, The Gleaner understands that there might not be enough money to settle the farmers' claims, as well as other administrative and legal expenses incurred in the process. The farmers' claims have reportedly amounted to $64 million. However, the trustees have a pool of only $70 million from which to settle the claims, as well as other administrative and legal expenses.

Earlier this month the liquidators of Dyoll and the coffee farmers' trustees had agreed out-of-court to settle for $162 million. However, $92 million of that amount has been used to settle the $60 million that was advanced by the Government as interim payment to the farmers late last year, and for other bills.