‘Heatflation’

Western Bureau:

Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining Minister Floyd Green has revealed that the sweltering heat now impacting Jamaica is negatively affecting the nation’s food production.

The effects of the high temperatures are being manifested in lower yield and higher prices, especially in relation to vegetables and other crops that do not grow well under the conditions now being faced.

“We have definitely seen a downturn in production, largely because of the heat,” Green told T he Gleaner following an event in Hanover on Sunday, where he addressed a group of students who emerged as top achievers in the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations.

“The reality is that we have been in drought conditions since about November last year, and it has carried through, even though we have had bouts of rain. There have been sharp bouts of rain, but what we are seeing also is a higher average temperature, so a lot of the crops are under tremendous stress, we are seeing a lot of challenges in our vegetable lines,” said Green.

According to the agriculture minister, production in the vegetable line across the country has been seeing significant decline. He said his ministry was monitoring the situation.

“Next week, I will be announcing some interventions, as we will continue to help the farmers. We did have a programme but we are going to ramp it up, so we will be announcing some support for the farmers and also the fishers, because the higher temperatures in the sea are also affecting the fish stock,” said Green.

With the downturn in agricultural production already manifesting itself in the shortage of supplies of some vegetable items, which has caused a simultaneous price increase, Green said crops such as tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, and sweet peppers are some of the produce worst affected.

“The good news is that those crops are short-term crops, so a number of our farmers are out in the field planting now, so we do expect, based on our tracking from the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), that in another two weeks or so, it will not be so difficult, and then as we provide more support, we expect that we will be able, as we go later down in the summer, to get through,” said Green.

According to Green, climate change is a real phenomenon which is being observed in the changing weather conditions, which sometimes manifest through longer dry periods and shorter more intense bouts of rain.

“We have been extending our irrigation networks. We have two major projects on the way now, spending in excess of US$50 million to bring water to parts of South Manchester, South St Elizabeth, Clarendon and St Catherine,” said Green.

“So those are going well, and we are also moving to the Pedro Plains irrigation scheme which, once done, will bring about 4,000 hectares under irrigation water supply.

“In the next financial year, farmers will be encouraged to supplement their outdoor agriculture with some indoor farming through greenhouses.”