Agriculture Ministry Conducting Damage Assessment

Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries are conducting assessment of damage sustained by the agriculture sector from the heavy rains associated from Tropical Storm Nicole.
Speaking in an interview with JIS News today (September 30) portfolio Minister, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, said that a number of farm roads have been severely damaged, preventing access to certain critical areas such as the hills of the Blue Mountain, where coffee is grown.
“We have also lost some cash crops in places like St. Elizabeth such as tomatoes, lettuce, melon, and cantaloupe,” he said.
While acknowledging that most farmers would have suffered some impact from the heavy and sustained rainfall, the Agriculture Minister encouraged them to remain resilient.
“It’s not the first time we had to encounter storms and flood waters and I know they will bounce back and we will be there to assist them in whatever way we can through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and other agencies within the Ministry,” Dr. Tufton said.
Since Wednesday (Sept. 29) RADA has activated the National and Parish Disaster Risk Management Committee, and has dispatched parish managers to gather and collate information.