Hurricane Beryl destroys crops in Jamaica, leaves islanders facing food shortages
Source: Associated Press
Hurricane Beryl destroys crops in Jamaica, leaves islanders facing food shortages
BY JOHN MYERS JR.
Updated 4:28 PM EDT, July 8, 2024
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Jamaicans will contend with food shortages in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, which is estimated to have destroyed over $6.4 million in food crops and supporting infrastructure, officials in Jamaica said on Monday.
Floyd Green, Jamaica’s agriculture minister, said preliminary assessments indicate significant damage to crops including vegetables, tubers such as yam and cassava, and fruits like breadfruit, ackee, mangoes and bananas, which are popular food sources.
He said livestock and fishing sectors were also impacted significantly by the record-breaking storm that unleashed tumultuous winds and rainfall as it traveled westward just off Jamaica’s south coast last week on route to the Cayman Islands, Mexico, and Texas.
“We have seen about 85% of our bananas and our plantain lines go down in Portland and St Mary,” Green said after visiting farms in the southern parish of St Elizabeth.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/jamaica-hurricane-beryl-shortages-food-8483edbb0bfbd6c0df81a538fe9e7888