Banana and Plantain Farmers In St. Elizabeth Receive Fertiliser and Training

About 100 banana and plantain farmers in St. Elizabeth have received fertiliser to boost their recovery from Hurricane Melissa, following a hands-on training session to build agricultural resilience in the parish.

The event was held at the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) Parish Office in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth, on March 12 and formed part of the Government’s ongoing Hurricane Melissa Recovery Programme.

Extension Services Head at the Banana Board, Oral Lewis, explained that the approach taken in St. Elizabeth was deliberate, as it combined resource distribution with technical guidance to ensure farmers are better prepared for future shocks in the sector.

“We thought that it would have been a good initiative to have these farmers before they receive their benefits, to have a dialogue on this important topic concerning their preparedness for hurricanes or wind damage, and also the strategies that they need to put in place after a wind event,” he said.

The training focused heavily on hurricane preparedness; encouraging farmers to adopt strategies, such as proper crop establishment timing to reduce vulnerability during peak storm months and exploring insurance options, like the Banana Industry Catastrophe Fund, and weather-based protection systems.

Mr. Lewis said the farmers were also guided on how to improve crop nutrition and strengthen field management practices to enhance resilience.

He emphasised that farmers must act quickly after storms to protect exposed crops from harsh sunlight; implement proper pruning and weed management, and carry out techniques, such as ‘chop back’, to prevent damaged plants from regrowing inefficiently.

“I think the farmers were satisfied with the responses that were given to their questions and we look forward to the positive results that will come because of this engagement with our farmers in St Elizabeth,” Mr. Lewis said.

For his part, RADA’s Parish Manager for St. Elizabeth, Mark Lee, said the turnout reflected the strong relationship between the agency and the farming community.

He noted that while the fertiliser is a critical input, the training component was equally important.

“So, instead of just giving persons fertiliser, having them come in, sign for it and leave, we want best practices in the form of training,” said Mr. Lee.

Meanwhile, farmer Alton Black of Goshen said the session could not have come at a better time.

Mr. Black, who has been farming for three years and has more than an acre of plantain intercropped with pineapple, indicated that he came to the session eager and left feeling genuinely equipped.

He said this is exactly the kind of support farmers in agricultural parishes like St. Elizabeth need more often.