MILAN – Hurricane Beryl, a deadly and destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane, tore a devastating path through the Caribbean, Yucatan Peninsula and parts of the United States last week.
The Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA) is reporting significant damage to agricultural commodities such as coffee, cocoa, pimento, and turmeric following the passage of Hurricane Beryl.
JACRA says initial evaluations have revealed that coffee farms and farming infrastructure have sustained 60 per cent damage, reports Our Today.
According to the Authority, primary damage included uprooting shade trees, scouring, bending, and shaking the coffee trees.
“Our major processors of Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee (Jamaica Standard Product (JSP), Blue Mountain Coffee Processors (BMCP), Blue Mountain Coffee Venture (BMCV), Jamaica Coffee Corporation Limited (JCCL), Mavis Bank Coffee Factory (MBCF), and Trumpet Tree Coffee (TTF) have all reported that there was minor structural damage to their processing facilities.
They have also indicated that based on their preliminary assessment and feedback from their farmers, the loss of berries is so far within the range of 10 per cent,” JACRA said in a statement on Monday, July 15, quoted by Our Today.
Additionally, the Authority said the industry will lose some JMD$200 million, or 25,000 boxes of coffee, following Hurricane Beryl, a decline from the expected yield of 250,000 boxes projected earlier this year.
