3,662 Farmers Register for Help in St. Mary

The number of farmers in St. Mary registering with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) for assistance, following the damage done to their crops by Hurricane Ivan, has now reached 3,662, as the registration process nears completion in the parish.
Crawford Clarke, Acting RADA Parish Manager for St. Mary told JIS News that he expected this number to increase by the time registration ends tomorrow (Wednesday, October 27).
Estimates done by RADA have placed the damage done by Hurricane Ivan to the agriculture sector in St. Mary at $700 million. Among the crops worst hit are banana, fruit trees, pulses and vegetables.
Mr. Clarke pointed out that the registration process was being conducted in a wide cross section of farming communities in the parish, adding that a total of 24 persons had been specially recruited to assist the RADA staff in the exercise.
He pointed out that the registered names would be submitted to the RADA head office for assessment, and that the assistance to be provided would be distributed by the Office for National Reconstruction (ONR), which is the agency designated by government to oversee the reconstruction effort.
Expressing appreciation for the co-operation the farmers had given during the registration process, Mr. Clarke said RADA was working closely with the farmers in order to ensure their economic survival, while they make the necessary effort to resuscitate their farms.
In pursuit of this objective, he said RADA was currently in the process of distributing seeds to the farmers for short term crops, as well as providing them with the necessary technical advice to ensure successful production.