Agriculture Minister Alfred Prospere recently presented a preliminary report highlighting the effects of Hurricane Beryl on Saint Lucia’s agricultural and fisheries sector. The hurricane significantly impacted the island’s vulnerable agriculture industry, particularly the banana and plantain sub-sectors, which suffered substantial damage due to high winds.
The initial assessment reveals that the total damages to the agricultural sector amount to EC $7.079 million. Notably, the southern part of Saint Lucia experienced less damage compared to areas like the Mabouya Valley, Roseau Valley, and Bexon.
In the fisheries sector, preliminary reports indicate that 26 fishing vessels were damaged, particularly in the Soufriere area. The sea-moss sub-sector sustained 70% to 80% damage, while poultry and swine farmers in the livestock sector faced minor losses.
The breakdown of damages by sub-sector is as follows:
Fisheries sector: $698,000
Livestock sector: $120,000
Non-banana crops (including vegetable farmers and other sub-sectors): $617,000
Banana sector: EC $3.4 million
Plantain sector: EC $2.2 million
Overall, the preliminary evaluation underscores the severity of the impact, especially in Region 3 (including the Mabouya Valley) and Regions 5 and 6 (encompassing Micoud and Soufriere). These damages represent approximately 34% compared to last June when Tropical Storm Bret caused 75% damage to the agricultural sector.
Minister Prospere emphasized the challenges faced by banana farmers. Despite recent government compensation of $1 million for unavailability of export boxes and the provision of 34,000 bags of fertilizer after Tropical Storm Bret last year, the impact remains significant.
“And every time the farmers are getting this income to take care of themselves and their families, we are faced with those challenges that we have no control of,” he said.
Minister Prospere mentioned that the government is concerned about the vulnerability of the agriculture sector and plans to implement crop insurance for farmers.
The minister emphasized the need to address the impact of climate change on the vulnerability of the agricultural sector. He said, the ministry has contacted three insurance companies “to see how we can come up with a mechanism to assist our farmers.” He explained that the onus cannot always be on the government to get the resources, regardless farmers are resilient, and determined because they understand the importance of food security to the country.