Bananas – the economic mainstay of several rural communities in South St James – took a severe beating from Hurricane Dean on Sunday, leaving farmers in mourning.

“No houses were damaged, but it worse than Gilbert because all banana walks have been blown down,” cried Dennis Pearson, a farmer from the Flagstaff community.

Banana crops in Flagstaff, Maroon Town, Kensington,

Garlands and other south St James communities were totally devastated during the passage of Hurricane Dean which swept the island with forceful winds leaving relatively little structural damage in St James and neighbouring parishes, but heavy agricultural losses in its wake.

“According to my assessment, 99 per cent of the crop has been wiped out. Other crops such as June plum, ackee, coconut, avocado pears have been damaged. All the vegetable crops have also been severely damaged.

Basically, the entire upper hills have been devastated,” said the ruling People’s National Party’s (PNP) Derrick Kellier, the incumbent candidate for South St James.

Kellier told the Observer West that he is seeking assistance from the Ministry of Agriculture to get the banana sector back on track.

“Urgent attention is required to return farmers to a state of normalcy. Fertilisers and planting materials are now needed to get the farmers on their feet again. We are making representation to the Ministry of Agriculture and RADA to discharge RADA officers in respect of getting surveys on the road immediately,” he said.

Seaford Gracie, another banana farmer from Flamstead agreed.

” We need some help to put it back,” he said.

The Observer West viewed acres and acres of slumped banana trees on several farms yesterday.

The farmers say young bananas were completely ruined, however, the yeomen were able to salvage some of the produce, which they plan to sell at the market, or to a local banana chips factory.

“Everything on my farm was ready to be harvested. We have covered some to see what can be taken to the market and we sell to the market and to the factory [banana chips factory].

Most of them are damaged and cannot go to the market or to the banana chips factory,” said a third Flagstaff farmer, Winston Minto told the Observer West.

In Trelawny, damage to agricultural crops has been put at an estimated $80 million.

“Yam cultivation was the worst hit, accounting for 500 hectares of the roughly 600 hectares of crops damaged during the category four storm,” a source at the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) told the Observer West.

Some 6,000 farmers were said to be affected by Dean.

Apart from yam, crops such as banana, vegetables, papaya, plantain and livestock were also affected.

Hugh Miller, a farmer from Allsides, said he lost more than 3,500 banks of yam, valued at more than $1 million during the hurricane.

Miller’s farm consists of more than 7,000 banks of yams and a few hectares of bananas and plantain.

He is concerned that the destruction of his crops could spell disaster for his family.

“Mi nuh know how mi a go manage. How mi a go feed mi family. This is what a do for mi living,” Miller said, pointing to one of his affected yam cultivation. Bwoy it’s really rough,” he wailed.

He is appealing to the government to provide assistance in the form of fertilisers and yam seedlings to assist in the recovery process.

Lincoln Brimn, 36, another yam farmer in the neighbouring farming district of Stettin in South Trelawny said he had lost more than 1,000 banks of yams as a result of the hurricane.

“Mi lose almost every one of mi yams. The heavy breeze blow down them and they won’t grow back,” said Brimn, a farmer for more than 16 years.

He is appealing to the government for assistance in the form of fertilisers and yam sticks.

“If wi get some fertilisers and yam sticks that would be a big help for us,” he said.

Three years ago Hurricane Ivan also dealt a devastating blow to yam farmers in the area.

He said that during Ivan he lost roughly 2,000 banks of yams.

Brimn added, however, that, like many other farmers in the area, he received no form of assistance from the government.