The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas lost 60,000 livestock as part of the $80m in damages inflicted upon the agricultural sector by Hurricane Dorian, a regional agricultural body has revealed.

The Caribbean Agricultural and Research Development Institute (CARDI), in a statement, said: “In the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, CARDI began working with all stakeholders to restore agricultural production on the islands.

“Working alongside the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources and the rapid needs assessment team (RNAT) co-ordinated by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Authority (CDEMA), CARDI assisted in assessing the damage to the agriculture sector. Michael Pintard, minister for agriculture and marine resources, advised that the damage to the sector was upwards of $80m.

“Agricultural production on Abaco and Grand Bahama, regarded as the food baskets of The Bahamas, were devastated. The vibrant fisheries and poultry sectors that the islands supported were obliterated. Assessments revealed almost total damage to the poultry industry, hydroponic and aquaculture farms,” it added.

“Livestock and vegetable farms were also hard hit by the monstrous storm. An estimated 60,000 ready-to-market broilers, sheep, goats and pigs were lost, while three-large scale farms and 200 small-scale farmers were severely impacted.”

Dr Michele Singh, CARDI’s representative in The Bahamas, said: “Several challenges constrained the immediate restart to agricultural production on the islands. Chief among those were the lack of planting material and breeding stocking, and salt water intrusion reported.”

Since January 2020, the Institute in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) has been rolling out phase one of its post-Hurricane Dorian agriculture project to restore productive capacity through the provision of seeds/seedlings, nursery infrastructure and other support mechanisms. Working with the Ministry of Agriculture, agricultural inputs ranging from planting material, potting soil and irrigation equipment have been provided to impacted farmers.

“To date, approximately 1,500 sweet potato slips from eight cultivars have already been distributed, some of which are about to be harvested,” the statement added. “CARDI is focused on promoting the cultivation of root crops such as sweet potato as part of our climate resilient strategy.

“These below-the-ground crops remain intact after storms, and can be a source of nutrient rich food for the population. Some of the $5,000 worth of vegetable seeds (tomato, sweet pepper, onion, hot peppers and squash) earmarked for distribution has been procured, and distribution is set to continue over the next months.

“In Abaco, pots soil and agrochemicals were presented to breadfruit growers. Farmers used these inputs to grow 500 bread fruit trees donated from The Trees that Feed Foundation (TTFF). These will replace those damaged by the hurricane. This initiative is aligned to the country’s goal of boosting breadfruit production in the country,” CARDI continued.

“In the coming weeks, pending the lifting of some of the restrictions imposed by the government as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, two suspended climate smart livestock systems will be constructed on the Family Islands.

“Also, approximately four acres of silvo pastures for Mulatto II, Mombassa and Cayman will be established and evaluated. To complement this activity, CARDI will provide training to livestock farmers on pasture establishment and management. The increased use of nutrient rich forages will help reduce the dependence on imported concentrate for animal feed in the country.”