CANE farmers in Bogue, St Elizabeth, say they could lose thousands of dollars if the roads leading to their farms are not rehabilitated immediately.

The farmers, who were contacted by the Jamaica Observer after their concerns were shared, said that plastic culverts that were put in have collapsed, leaving the road impassable to trucks in some areas whenever it rains.

This, of course, is a setback for farmers who rely on trucks to transport their sugar cane to the Appleton sugar factory in the parish.

Added to that, the farmers told the Observer that tomorrow marks the beginning of the sugar cane season and noted that they are already behind by a week.

Rodney Barnes, who has been farming for more than 35 years, mentioned that the culverts “caved in” just over a year ago.

According to Barnes, this is likely to affect the business of all farmers in the area since they all use the same road to deliver their crops.

Lioley Coley said that, as a result of the road condition, trucks will have to use the longer route, which will cost farmers more.

“It is going to be terrible because the drivers charge $400 per tonne, so multiply that by 15 for [several] trips. We need to hear from them because this is going to cause us to lose,” he insisted.

For Dane Mangaroo, who has approximately 200 acres of cane to take out, and described the situation as a real disaster for farmers.

“I don’t know what to do about it. Nobody is here; nobody is interested in fixing it,” he said.

The People’s National Party’s Evan Redman is the Member of Parliament for the area, but Mangaroo said that the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for the road. “The road falls under the Sugar Transformation Unit,” he said.

Asked if anyone reported the road condition to the ministry, Mangaroo said that he was not sure.

Carlton Goss had a similar response. He could not say if the road condition had been reported.

“Mi nuh know, but it is a major concern, and mi a really wonder because cane crop start Wednesday, and mi nuh see nobody come to fix it. It’s a big concern, man. I see some people come do some patching, but that’s it. It needs to fix,” Goss stressed.

Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Agriculture, JC Hutchinson, when contacted yesterday, told the Observer that he was not aware of the situation.

The minister said that an investigation would have to be done or an assessment to find out “if it is true” before repairs could commence.

— Kimone Francis