Agriculture Minister Floyd Green says his ministry is anticipating that agricultural production that took a beating from Hurricane Beryl will reach or surpass pre-hurricane levels within the next six to 18 months.

He said efforts have already begun to bear fruit, with last week seeing the reemergence of some local vegetable lines from some of the hard-hit areas.

Green provided the update on the state of the agriculture sector during a ministerial statement in the House of Representatives.

Pointing out that the recovery efforts started two weeks after the hurricane hit Jamaica on July 3, Green highlighted that this was the quickest response of any Government to a natural disaster of this magnitude.

He said that to date, 630 hectares (1557 acres) of land have been planted with essential crops, including cabbage, tomato, lettuce, carrot, sweet pepper, cucumber and watermelon.

“Having stood in fields that were once barren, seeing them now green and growing once again is a testament to the resilience of our farmers and the quick action of our teams. Through coordinated land preparation and the timely distribution of planting materials, we have given our farmers a fighting chance to rebuild their livelihoods,” Green remarked.

He told the House that his ministry has provided direct support to 14,370 farmers affected by the hurricane across the parishes of St Elizabeth, Manchester, Clarendon, St Catherine, Westmoreland, Trelawny, and St Ann through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA).

The minister shared that over 10,000 packs of seeds have been delivered so far, with the focus being on cabbage, tomato and sweet pepper, accounting for about 40 per cent of what has already been distributed. Farmers have also been provided with watermelon, cauliflower and cantaloupe seeds.

“Over 6,500 bags of fertiliser have already been distributed, again focusing on some of our hardest-hit areas. Additionally, given the critical role of yams, cassava, hot peppers, and papayas in the local food supply, efforts were focused on the provision of land preparation support, distribution of fertiliser and pesticides to aid the restoration efforts,” said Green.

He said he has spoken with farmers who were unsure if they would ever be able to plant again, “and now, thanks to the seeds, fertilisers, and technical support provided, they are back on their feet”.