Ramsubhag said between 3,000 to 4,000 pounds of tomatoes were spoilt because of the floods. The watermelons were between eight to ten pounds each but would have weighed up to 20 pounds if allowed to mature, he said.

The wholesale price for the watermelons is $2.50 per pound. Other farmers in the area would have planted similar crops including cucumber, he said. Ramsubhag said rain continued to fall incessantly in that area, which prevented them from doing much work at this time.

Ramsubhag’s father, Bridgelal Ramsubhag, said he would have lost at least $100,000 in produce. Ramsubhag (B), a former president of the County Agricultural Consultative Committee, said farmers would normally claim for compensation at the Ministry of Food Production Rio Claro Demonstration Station.

However compensation was not guaranteed and, if given, amounted to “next to nothing”, he said.

Minister of Food Production Devant Maharaj said staff from the ministry was doing assessments in affected areas.

However, he said the ministry received more complaints of crop losses from Las Lomas and Plum Mitan, Mayaro.

In Cedar Grove Road, approximately 500 chickens died in the floods.

Source - http://www.trinidadexpress.com/