Dr. Marshall Hall, former head of Jamaica Producers Group, says it could take up to eight months to put farmsback into production after Hurricane Dean. - File

The destruction of Jam-aica's banana farms by Hurricane Dean has left thousands of workers without jobs, say industry experts, who also estimate it could take up to eight months to begin reaping again.

"Approximately 3,000 direct employees of the Banana Export Company and spin-offs such as truckers, wharf workers, among others, were affected by the loss sustained by the industry," said Vincent Evans, managing director of the Banana Export Company (BECO), which purchases all export bananas.

Evans said there has been no major activity at BECO since 'Dean'. Jamaica Producers Group, the largest private player in the industry, has also cut its workforce.

No major activity

"Loss of jobs in this period amounts to approximately 150 employees for both the St. Mary Banana Estate and Eastern St. Thomas," said Dr. Marshall Hall, former head of Jamaica Producers Group.

Hall, a premier authority on bananas, was managing director of Jamaica Producers until the end of June when he retired and passed the mantle to his son Jeffrey Hall.

"The export sector is blowing down," said Hall. Hurricane Ivan in 2004 wiped out the industry by 100 per cent, 'Dennis' and 'Emily' destroyed 60 per cent in 2005, and now 'Dean' has wrought 100 per cent destruction again, he said.

Return to production

Hall said to return to production, Jamaica Producers must find a way of spreading the risk from increasingly frequent storm events to its farms. Insurance," he adds, is just too expensive.

Banana interests are now in discussion with the government about support for the industry.

It will take over US$6 million ($420 million) to fully resuscitate the island's farms, said Hall, who also told Sunday Business that the resuscitation would take six to eight months.

While not speaking directly to the issue of what not going back into export production means for local farmers and the economy, Hall said that Jamaica Producers' farms had represented some US$15 million of revenue contribution.

The Banana Export Company exports approximately 30,000 tonnes of banana valued at over US$20 million (J$14 billion).

- S.G.