Gov’t Provides Over $38m to Assist Livestock, Dairy and Bee Farmers Affected by Hurricane Beryl

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining is providing more than $38 million to assist livestock, dairy and bee farmers in their recovery from the impact of Hurricane Beryl.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, made the disclosure while providing an update on the ongoing Hurricane Beryl Recovery Programme during Tuesday’s (September 24) sitting of the House of Representatives

He said the Ministry will be distributing 57,600 broiler chickens to farmers to help replenish their stocks.

Mr. Green advised that distribution has commenced and is being done based on the level of losses in the parishes, adding that, “already, 833 livestock farmers have benefited from these interventions”.

Additionally, he said $26 million has been allocated to provide infrastructure support to livestock farmers to help them rebuild structures housing their animals and feeding systems.

Meanwhile, Mr. Green informed that dairy farmers have already received 20 tonnes of feed, and about 30 relief kits comprising recovery medicine for animals and cleaning agents.

“We are currently repairing the milking parlour infrastructure for three farmers,” he further indicated.

Minister Green told the House that a number of dairy farmers had the additional burden of losing all their stock due to a lack of electricity for storage, noting that this decimated their cash flow and earnings.

“Even when they were able to gather the milk, they were unable to store and distribute the milk; that has caused about $10 million in losses to our dairy farmers,” he said.

Mr. Green disclosed that the Ministry will be providing direct support to the tune of $5 million to the farmers, pointing out that the money represents 50 per cent of their total losses for the period.

The Minister, who also noted that bees are crucial for pollination and honey production, said a $7.1-million project will be undertaken to support affected beekeepers.

This includes the provision of sugar as supplementary feed, valued approximately $5 million, and $1.8 million worth of pollen supplement provided by an international donor.

Additionally, Mr. Green said a sum of $200,000 will be used to conduct training for the beekeepers.