Bananas being prepared for the market, as seen on a farm in Jamaica. Banana and sugar producers are to receive government relief due to a 30 per cent increase in the price of fertiliser. - File

In another couple of weeks, banana farmers should be able to benefit from free supplies of fertiliser under the Hurricane Dean Rehabilitation Programme funded by the European Union Banana Support Programme.

Last week, Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton disclosed that a separate allocation of fertiliser would be provided for banana and sugar farmers after a 30 per cent increase on the price of the commodity was rolled back for domestic crop growers.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Donovan Stanberry, said on Friday, that the procurement process for the distribution of fertilisers to banana farmers is being completed.

"After the hurricane, we did an assessment of the damage sustained to their (banana) farms and since then, we have been monitoring. So we, know which farmer is to get based on that programme," said Stanberry.

Regarding sugar farmers, a separate subsidy of $25 million on the price of fertiliser will be allocated for this sector. The permanent secretary said this subsidy would be provided through Jamaica Cane Sales Limited, under an arrangement similar to one executed earlier in the financial year, under a $50-million programme.

Government approval

In January, the Government approved a series of measures to provide some relief to consumers in the wake of continued escalation in food prices. Part of these measures was a $70 million fertiliser subsidy to provide a 10 per cent reduction on the price of the product until the end of March.

Tufton said he was concerned about the global trend in escalating fertiliser prices. He said the price of critical raw material, such as urea, moved from approximately US$200 per tonne in November, to about US$337 per tonne in February, with similar increases for phosphate and potash from roughly US$420 per tonne, to about US$900 per tonne, and an estimated US$320 per tonne to approximately US$430 per tonne, respectively.

Little over a month ago, Tufton, Prime Minister Bruce Golding and other Government representatives met with a fertiliser supplier out of Venezuela in an effort to source cheaper raw material.

"So far, it's encouraging, but we do not want to disclose much information until the agreement has been finalised," said Tufton.

Some 60,000 tonnes of fertiliser is used annually by the island's farmers in producing their crops.