State Minister in the Agriculture Ministry, Luther Buchanan, says that 80 per cent of the coffee crop in East Rural St Andrew was reaped prior to the massive bush fire in the area.
State Minister told that about 500 acres of lands have been destroyed in the fire resulting in losses of $200 million.
Buchannan said farmers will suffer $100 million in losses over a three-year period.
He said an additional $100 million will be required to assist with the planting of coffee.
The massive bush fire has been raging for nearly 2 weeks.
Buchanan is urging farmers and residents to exercise more caution when preparing lands for planting.
He said farmers should desist from using burning as a means of clearing land.
According to Buchanan, Mavis Bank and surrounding communities account for some of Jamaica’s premier farming communities.
The area is also one of Jamaica’s main coffee growing areas producing Blue Mountain coffee as well as other agricultural crops such as pumpkin and banana.
Source - http://jamaica-gleaner.com/
