The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) is reminding farmers to report damage to their property after natural hazards such as hurricanes.

Earlier this year, heavy rains caused an estimated $63 million in crop damage in St. Elizabeth alone.

An accurate evaluation of damage by storms, hurricanes, floods and periods of heavy rains is crucial to arranging relief efforts by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining.

Senior Plant Health and Food Safety Officer with RADA, Francine Webb- Lawrence, said assessing property, crop and livestock damage after a storm should be a priority for farmers.

“We are encouraging farmers to communicate that kind of information to their RADA Officers, so it can also be fed to the Ministry. We will then do verification using drones, to ensure that the correct information is sent back to the Ministry,” she told JIS News in a recent interview.

Mrs. Webb-Lawrence emphasised the value of proper assessment and reporting of damage by farmers.

“That communication channel is important because the Ministry can provide intervention that will meet the needs of the farmers in the various areas, particularly those that are more severely affected,” she said.

Extension Officers of RADA are available islandwide to provide support and maintain close contact with local farmers.

Source - https://jis.gov.jm