Recent assessments have revealed a grim picture of Saint Lucia’s banana industry in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Kirk.
Kerde Severin, Project Manager for the Banana Productivity Improvement Project, said despite major gains in productivity, the September 27 tropical storm caused damages of up to 90 percent on some farms, resulting in farmers having to restart their crop cycles.
Mr. Severin provided an overview of the industry before the project started.
“The last figures in 2015 show that the export tonnage to the UK was about 7000, but more critically, the acreage was about 1117, with the number of farmers just below 300.”
He explained that under the Banana Productivity Improvement Project, the number of farms and the amount of produce increased significantly.
“To date, we have doubled that acreage,” Mr. Severin said. “We are now at 2384 acres. The number of farmers has now also doubled. We are now up to 578 farmers. And the number of farms moved from 286 to 687. So that is where we were just before Tropical Storm Kirk.
“More importantly also we saw an improvement in productivity. I believe we were probably nearing 15 tons to the acre. In fact, in some areas like the Deglos crown lands, farmers were producing close to 20 tons per acre because the smallest bunches would contain as much as 12 or 13 hands. So productivity was also on the increase. Sadly, Kirk came and we have to start all over again.”
The island’s northern and coastal zones bore the brunt of the storm.
“The impact was felt more in the northern and coastal areas—Babonneau, Forestierre, Cul de Sac, the Deglos crown lands area, and moving south, Roseau, Mabouya Valley, Praslin, Mamiku, Fond Estate, and Canelles. All these areas were severely hit. The damages were between 75 to 90 percent. Some farms would have experienced 100 percent in damages. The farms in the woodlands, these were spared, but our best lands, our best farms, these were the areas that were hit the hardest.”
With the perseverance innate to an entrepreneurial spirit, Saint Lucia’s farmers have already begun the restoration of their farms.
“We have advised the farmers to go ahead and start the process of chopping and replanting,” Mr. Severin said. “I can tell you that all around, farmers are already back in the fields, and they are already chopping and replanting and some of them are almost 80 to 90 percent complete.”
This is the second year of implementation for the Banana Productivity Improvement Project. It was established by the Ministry of Agriculture through the Government of Saint Lucia to help resuscitate the banana industry, increase productivity, renew income and earning streams, and increase exports.
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