By Twila Wheelan
KINGSTON, Jamaica, (JIS) – A shortage of banana and plantain can be expected across the island as a result of the damage caused by hurricane Beryl. A detailed assessment conducted by the Banana Board reveals an average of 74 percent damage in the sector.
General manager of the Banana board, Janet Conie, who was speaking during a recent ‘JIS Get the Facts’ interview, said for the sector, damage over 50 percent is considered a catastrophe.
“At 74 percent, the damage assessment amounts to $2.1 billion, and that includes everything that needs to be done to get farms back to production so that in nine months you can have bunches again. Between the damage and that period after they have reaped all that they can reap, they will have no fruits until the nine months until they come back out,” Conie said. The actions of banana and plantain farmers during this time will determine the rate of recovery over the next nine months.
“We are expecting a shortage because, based on what we are getting now, this is from what they have reaped and what they have saved, and that will get depleted. And after about a month you won’t see anything and, usually, we estimate for the public about nine months. Some farmers are very good and they come back within seven months,” she said.
Meanwhile, Conie is encouraging farmers to take the necessary steps to improve their yields as quickly as possible. The aim should be to keep ‘followers’, which are the next generation of bananas, as high as possible.
“If you have this blow, that follower will be very high up in the air. The follower is the daughter and that’s the one you are trying to encourage to come to produce a bunch in the shortest possible time,” Conie said.
As the hurricane season continues, Conie is also reminding farmers to properly maintain their drains. Excess water in the root zone of the banana and plantain plants settling for 72 hours or longer, can result in bacterial rot, which can kill the plants.
“If that mat rots, you need to replant. Just like the ones that have blown over and lost the whole root, you need to replant. But you cannot replant in waterlogged situations. You cannot replant in that infection of bacteria. This is why you need to ensure that your roots are drained prior to the hurricane.”
“As soon as the hurricane happens you need to go and see if there are any drains silted up and if there is anything blocking; you move those out because you cannot ensure your productivity if you have too much water. That’s why drainage is important,” Conie said.
