Drought hurting Trelawny yam and Irish potato farmers

WESTERN BUREAU:

The prolonged drought, which has been plaguing sections of the island, is said to be having a particularly devastating impact on yam and Irish potato farmers in south Trelawny.

The area has long boasted high crop yields including being recognised as having produced 70 per cent of the yam exported from Jamaica in 2022.

Wayne Smith, a farmer of Wire Fence district near the Trelawny/Manchester border, laments that with drought conditions persisting, his farm’s yam production is in decline.

“There has been no significant rainfall since November. The yam needs rain, especially in the early stages to grow and start producing. Because of the lack of rain, a hill of yam, which used to produce eight pounds of yam, is barely putting out two pounds,” said Smith, who is now worried about his financial security going forward.

He said that while he still has yams to be reaped, he seriously doubts that it will be on the scale of former years.

“The round leaf yam is only in the ground, but not producing any food. What that means is that there will be no yam for the markets nor exporters,” said Smith,“This situation is already bringing a financial burden on the farmers.”

“Large farmers have bought and fertilised their yam. But because of no rain that fertiliser did not dissolve to do the expected and just stayed on top of the soil and burn,” he explained, “When the rain comes more fertiliser will have to be bought. And that is going to see the price of yam skyrocket.”

Paula Mullings, of neighbouring Lime Tree district, cultivates both yam and Irish potato and according to her, her yield this year has been the worst she has seen in many years.

“I bought material for planting Irish potatoes and got some from the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA). The leaves are turning yellow, and production is down. When you check the ground to see the size of the potatoes, they are just barely bigger than a marble.”

Rita Hylton, who exports Jamaican foods to Canada, England, and the United States, said she is now struggling to meet her obligations, as demand is now greater than supply as a result of the drought.

“The drop in production has affected my ability to satisfy my markets abroad. I am accustomed to shipping two containers per week. I am now down to one. In addition, it is almost costing the same amount of money to purchase one container,” said Hylton, “For example, yam was being sold to me at $90 per pound. Now the cheapest is $150, and I see it reaching $200 per pound soon.”

Hylton is recommending that government establish an agricultural policy, which should include rainwater harvesting, possibly on the scale that it is being done in Brazil. Lenworth Fulton, the president of Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), is in support.

“The time has long passed for government to establish ponds to harvest the rainwater. Give farmers cheap loans, where large ponds can be established and serve farmers during the drought period. If this is not done, our food security is going to be seriously challenged,” Hylton said.