Post-Beryl agriculture fund gets $1 billion

The newly formed Hurricane Beryl Recovery Taskforce has received a significant boost with an additional allocation of $1.4 billion, which will provide relief for affected farmers islandwide.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries initially established the fund with $700 million in the aftermath of the Category 4 hurricane, which severely affected the southern parishes and devastated the agricultural sector, leaving an estimated $6.5 billion in crop, livestock and infrastructural damage. Also included was damage to the fishing beaches and fishing resources.

However, speaking during yesterday’s quarterly press briefing at the ministry’s office in St Andrew, Agriculture Minister Floyd Green announced that more funds have been allocated to support the immediate recovery efforts and to enhance the sector’s resilience to future weather events.

“This funding is being used to provide farmers with essential resources such as seeds, fertilisers, and other critical inputs, as well as infrastructure support to livestock and greenhouse farmers and critical ministry infrastructure such as irrigation and fishing beach rehabilitation.

“We remain committed to collaborating with farmers, fishers and stakeholders to ensure continued production and support throughout the third quarter,” Green said.

The minister said one of the challenges currently faced by the sector, resulting from the hurricane, is the availability of fruits and vegetables.

Noting the anxiety among consumers with regard to the shortage of these items, Green pledged the ministry’s commitment to ensuring that citizens have access to the food they need.

So far, he said, the supply situation for vegetables and tubers has shown slight improvement, with prices beginning to decline over the past two weeks.

At the same time, he said while production is gradually improving, it will take another six weeks for a full recovery for most short-term crops.

However, Green said, “To bridge the gap and prevent excessive price hikes, we have facilitated access to external markets for various fruits and vegetables, including lettuce, tomatoes, sweet peppers, carrots, cantaloupe, honeydew, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, and squash.”

These imports, he added, are already in the marketplace, helping to stabilise supply and keep prices within a reasonable range.

Additionally, he said, the ministry is implementing a special initiative to secure the supply chain for the tourism and hospitality sector.

Green said he noted farmers’ concerns regarding the importation of fruits and vegetables while adding that deliberate efforts were made to ensure that any sourcing from external markets was transparent and with full consideration of its impact on local farmers.

“The goal is not to replace local production but to supplement it during this difficult period,” he added.

In the meantime, the minister said, “We are actively driving the rebuilding of the local agricultural sector. Through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) , we have established a system where farmers who may have crops struggling to market can contact RADA marketing officers for assistance.”

This system, he said, is designed to prioritise locally produced crops and ensure that local farmers are supported, and their produce is utilised.

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