The Hurricane Beryl Recovery Taskforce, aimed at providing relief for affected farmers across Jamaica, has been bolstered by a further allocation of $1.4 billion. This comes in addition to the initial $700 million established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries following the Category 4 hurricane that hit the southern parishes, causing an estimated $6.5 billion in damages to crops, livestock, infrastructure, fishing beaches, and resources.
During a press briefing, Agriculture Minister Floyd Green detailed the allocation's purpose to aid immediate recovery and enhance future weather event resilience. "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," Green stated.
Green highlighted the challenge of fruit and vegetable availability post-hurricane, acknowledging consumer anxiety over shortages. Efforts to ensure food access include slight improvements in vegetable and tuber supplies, with prices starting to decrease. Despite gradual production recovery, a full rebound for most short-term crops is anticipated to take an additional six weeks. To mitigate price spikes and supply gaps, the ministry has facilitated imports of various produce, now present in the market to help stabilize supply and prices.
A special initiative has also been launched to secure the tourism and hospitality sector's supply chain. Addressing farmers' concerns over produce importation, Green emphasized that the aim is to supplement, not replace, local production during this recovery period. Additionally, the ministry, through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), has set up a system to assist farmers in marketing their crops, prioritizing local produce to support Jamaican farmers.
Source: Jamaica Gleaner