Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said on Wednesday that St. Vincent (SVG) has lost Hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of agricultural produce due to the passage of Tropical Storm Bret.
Gonsalves, speaking on NBC radio, says the information from a preliminary report shows losses amounting to over $200,000.
“This is what the report from the Extension and Advisory Services Division of the Ministry of Agriculture says: the total amount comes close to $250,000. Now, it may not seem like a lot of money in losses there, but if you’re an individual farmer and you lose 66% of your plantains, it’s a big blow”.
Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture Saboto Caesar says, based on his assessment, consumers could face a scarcity of plantains and bananas on the local market and the likelihood of higher prices.
Caesar said that plantains and bananas are the two crops that were mainly damaged by the winds associated with the Tropical storm; however, there were some minor damages to some vegetable cultivation.
A preliminary damage assessment from the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) Office states that there have been 113 reports of damage to housing structures thus far.
The Ministry of Transport and Works has assessed 61 such structures, and national mobilization has conducted 48 assessments thus far. The impact has largely affected the northeastern communities, but also some in Northwestern.
The northeastern communities are Owia, Sandy Bay, and Colonarie. 15 people are currently housed at the Owia government school as an emergency shelter.
The damage assessment began on Friday, the 23rd of June, after the all-clear was given, and the social assessment began on Saturday by the Ministry of National Mobilization and Social Development.
