Jamaica losses 100% of banana crops due to Hurricane Beryl

Kingston, Jamaica: Jamaica witnessed the loss of 80 to 100 per cent for bananas and plantains due to the passage of Hurricane Beryl as per the reports shared by the Banana Board.

According to the board the assessment was conducted in the larger banana producing parishes of St Thomas, St Mary, Portland, St Catherine, St James and Clarendon. While assessing the loss, the General Manager of the Banana Board, Janet Conie stated that the commercial banana farmers which are about 1564 hectares on the ground, have experience a huge loss of 90%.

She further added that they are constantly focusing on farmers who are recovering from this setback. She mentioned that she has asked the farmers to go back to their farms in order to cover the bunches of fruits if they are down. She asserted that if those bunch of fruits will be exposed to the sun, and are not covered then they will be damaged and farmers will not be able to sale them.

Conie also asked the farmers to leave the bunches that are not still ready and are attached to the plant with the vision to promote the continued development of those fruits. She also noted that where it is not possible then they can chop up which requires cutting off those sections of the plant which are broken or bent or rotting.

She also added that they have been showing in the media the right measures to chop up, which is very significant because if the farmers don’t perform it rightly, then the next crop will be very far. She asserted that they had been asking the farmers to do it within two weeks of the damage.

Conie also mentioned that the board is asking the farmers to keep the fruits that can hold in cold storage or ripening room. She also asked them to cover those fruits if they are in field and then try to sell as much as they can because it will take another nine months to recover.