The banana industry is said to be on the road to recovery.
KINGSTON, Jamaica — A preliminary assessment conducted by the Banana Board after Hurricane Beryl indicates that damage to bananas and plantains ranges from 80 to 100 percent.
JIS News reports that the committee has so far carried out assessments in the major banana-producing parishes of St. Thomas, St. Mary, Portland, St. James, St. Catherine and Clarendon.
“Commercial banana farmers, with about 1,564 hectares on the ground, have experienced losses of about 90 percent. So the losses are significant and we are still assessing,” said Janet Coney, general manager of the banana association.
Kony told JIS News that the focus is now on ensuring that farmers recover quickly from this setback.
“We have asked farmers to return (to their farms) as soon as possible. If there are bunches that are too fallen to be removed immediately, we ask them to cover them because they will be damaged by the sun and will not be able to be sold. That is the first priority. The damage is between 80 and 100 percent, which means the plants are falling,” she said.
Connie further advised that farmers can also leave the unripe bunches on the plants to encourage continued fruit growth.
If that’s not possible and they can sell the bunches as is, “we ask that they ‘chop,'” the general manager said, which means cutting off any parts of the plant that are broken, bent or may be rotting.
“We have been introducing the chopping method in the media. Chopping is very important because if it is not done correctly, the next harvest will be a long time away. What we are asking farmers to do is to complete the chopping within two weeks of the damage,” Kony stressed.
He added that the committee has asked that “if the fruit can be stored in a refrigerator or ripening room, please do so.”
“If you are in the field, cover it and try to sell as much as you can. If you follow our instructions it will take another nine months to recover,” Connie added.
