Persistent Rainfall Causes Damage to Agricultural Production

Agricultural production- 80 percent of farmers in Jamaica depends on rain-fed conditions to do their farming; however, an excessive amount of rainfall can cause damage to crops, delay planting, and harvesting, restrict growth, and cause loss of nutrients in soils.

The recent downpour of showers has left farmlands soggy, crops uprooted and farmers devastated. The Ministry of Agriculture is currently carrying out an island-wide assessment to evaluate the impact of the persistent heavy rainfall experienced over the past couple of days. 

According to Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Floyd Green the persistent showers have come at the worst possible time, as farmers had to previously deal with drought conditions coupled with the downturn in the market due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Green adds that an increase in cost of produce in the markets largely depends on the supply and demand of certain crop types. 

Vice President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society, Denton Alvaranga adds that the damage across the island is wide and varied. 

With Agricultural production, the main crops affected are vine crops, the melons, cucumbers, pumpkins and others…

And with the Christmas season fast approaching, sorrel the most sought after crop around this period may very well be impacted.