Farmers to Receive Post-hurricane Soil-testing Support to Guide Replanting Efforts

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and the Agricultural Land Management Division have been mandated to conduct soil tests and guide farmers on replanting, while distributing support items in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

This was disclosed by Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, who was speaking during Thursday’s (December 11) handover ceremony for $25 million worth of fertiliser from Newport-Fersan (Jamaica) Limited, held at the company’s headquarters in Kingston.

He noted that the hurricane “has completely changed the ecosystem in the hardest‑hit parishes,” pointing out that the soil composition has been altered in those most severely affected.

“If you have been to those areas – and for the first time, as I [am told] – we’ve gone through what they call ‘salt burn’, where all the trees were stripped,” the Minister explained.

Salt burn refers to plant tissue damage caused by excessive salt accumulation in the soil or on foliage.

In the western parishes most adversely affected, hurricane‑force winds drove saline ocean spray inland, scorching vegetation and altering cultivation conditions.

Consequently, Mr. Green stated that soil tests must be conducted to determine the most effective replanting procedures to maximise production.

“So before we go back out, it is important that we look at the nutritional regime that the farmers are using, and exactly what is now needed, based on the soil profile,” he emphasised.

The Minister urges farmers to follow proper nutritional regimes when replanting, cautioning that crop yields may suffer if they fail to do so.

Mr. Green also invited Newport‑Fersan to collaborate with the Ministry of Agriculture on the initiative, highlighting that the company already provides soil-testing services.

Meanwhile, the Minister is advancing preparations for future climate‑related catastrophes through investments in cold storage facilities.

These investments are designed to minimise post‑harvest losses, enhance productivity, and stabilise market supply – measures that are especially critical, given that Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica just as many farmers were preparing for harvest.

“So while we’re providing immediate support, in terms of seeds and… fertiliser, we’re also investing in things like storage so that the next time we have a weather-related disaster, and we say to farmers, ‘go out and harvest’, they have somewhere to store their produce,” Mr. Green said.

To this end, the Minister noted that two 20‑foot, solar‑powered cold storage containers were unveiled in St. Elizabeth on Friday, December 5 – a US$57,000 investment under the CARICOM Agri‑Boost Project.

Additionally, in Manchester, the cold storage facility at Kirkvine is being finalised, while construction work continues on the facility in Coleyville.

“We have a modern storage and processing plant in Essex Valley that we’re going to put on the road come January. Because, again, it is not just about building, it’s about building back much better than before,” Minister Green pointed out.