South Trelawny yam farmers appeal for help amid impact of Beryl

Yam farmers in South Trelawny are reeling from the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl,

In 2023, seventy per cent of yams exported from Jamaica were produced in the area.

That record is being threatened by damage caused by the Category 4 hurricane.

Several farmers in the area are reporting losses.

“We are devastated,” yam farmers Charles Morgan and Orane Brown told The Gleaner.

"Our yellow yam, negro yam and round leaf yams are all blown down. These yams would have been ready for late August into September. They cannot be reaped at that time now. If we do any reaping then we will lose the heads," said Morgan.

Morgan, who is from Green Town, and Brown, who is from Lorimers, both have large yam fields.

Over in Warsop, Rhyan Saunders has lost everything. 

"I plant yams and cash crops like tomatoes, cabbage and carrots. All of that is gone. In addition I had just bought 300 chickens. All of them have died."

The farmers are appealing for help.

- Leon Jackson

Follow The Gleaner on X and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.