BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FOLLOWING the devastation of the local Agriculture Sector by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the government has approved monies to assist farmers and fishermen to rebuild.
At his monthly press conference yesterday (Oct. 25), Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris disclosed that Cabinet had approved the sum of $300,000 to expedite the restoration of the Agriculture and Fisheries Sector.
In its preliminary estimates, the government disclosed that the total damage to the Agriculture and Fisheries Sector is over EC$10 million, with crops being the most heavily hit area.
According to Dr. Harris, with regards to crop farmers, relief efforts have already started with the issuance of input supplies, such as planting materials and chemicals.
In the area of livestock, farmers have been issued galvanized and lumber (2x4 and 4x4) to replace or buttress their structures that were totally or partly damaged during the passage of the hurricanes.
“The large ruminant farmers - these are essentially our cattle farmers and they have essentially been given Bayticol, de-wormers; and several bags of feed have been set aside for farmers with livestock and also those who are into poultry,” Dr. Harris said.
Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Eugene Hamilton recently told SKNVibes he was hopeful that the sector would rebound quickly and there would be no shortage of food supplies to the island.
He had given a breakdown of the damage following the passage of Hurricane Irma – the first of the two storms.
“The breakdown is somewhere in the vicinity of $3M for the Fisheries Sector. The building in Dieppe Bay that houses the fisheries section that they have there, suffered 1,200sq of roofing, and it also suffered some equipment losses. So, some of the costs have gone towards that.
“We had people who were fishermen who have lost some of their fishing equipment. Those that are out in the water, the fishing traps, there were some boats that got some damage.”
In the fisheries sub-sector, the government has prioritize the Old Road fisheries breakwater for rebuilding, Hamilton said.
“In this regard, ABE Limited has been engaged to provide and engineering design for the structure. Duty free concession is also available to our fisher folks who have suffered damages,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Dr. Harris revealed that funds have been set aside for private contractors to clear feeder roads of fallen trees and debris, as well as to repair those roads that had eroded.
“To this end, I am happy to report that such work has already been started in the area of Tabernacle to Harris’, and work should commence shortly in the area stretching from Old Road to Belmont.”
Further, he stated that the Land Management Unit within the Ministry of Agriculture is continuing to work on roads in St. Peter’s and Cayon.
