Patroy Powell of south St Elizabeth stands in a bed of cauliflower and broccoli in April. Powell now hopes he could regain some of those crops, as his farm was destroyed by Tropical Storm Gustav. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
Consumers should brace to fork out more for domestic food crops, such as watermelons and tomatoes, as St Elizabeth farmers continue to reel from the effects of Tropical Storm Gustav.
Patroy Powell, who farms on a two-acre property in the parish, told The Gleaner yesterday that the storm drenched farmlands, des-troying most crops.
He said already there is a shortage of some produce like melons.
"Me roam the parish trying to get 10,000 pounds of watermelons for the hotels and could only get about 300 pounds," said Powell.
Another St Elizabeth farmer, Desmond Whitely, said vegetable cultivators were whipped by the storm after recovering from increasing fertiliser prices, months of drought and Hurricane Dean that lashed the island last year August.
"The rainfall really took away a lot of vegetables, so farmers will have to again reorganise," said Whitely.
Broccoli, which the farmers fed to pigs up to five months ago because of a glut, is now scarce.
"You can't get any at all," Powell said.
The farm-gate prices for other vegetables and fruits have escalated, some more than doubling.
However, the farmers say there is adequate supply of scallion.
The agriculture ministry had reported that the damage to the domestic food crop sector was $538 million, with some 2,777 hectares affected.
Al Powell, executive director at the Rural Agricultural Develop-ment Authority, said the ministry is putting its "best foot forward" to help farmers resuscitate their farms.
Assistance has been provided to registered farmers through the donation of agricultural tools and vegetable seeds. A $25-million fertiliser subsidy was also introduced.
"I am sure there will be a supply of vegetables within another 10 to 12 weeks as we are providing assistance," Powell said.
Norman Grant, president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society, said farmers could adopt greenhouse technology to quickly get back into production.
