KINGSTON, Jamaica — Poultry farmer, Nadisha Simmonds-Small, has expressed gratitude for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining’s plan to rebuild the poultry sector, which sustained extensive damage during the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

Portfolio Minister, Floyd Green, toured several farms in Bonnet district in Guys Hill, St Catherine, on Thursday, where he saw the extent of the damage from the hurricane, and how farmers have begun to replant and rebuild their livelihoods.

Simmonds-Small disclosed that more than 500 of her broiler chickens died during the category-five storm, resulting in approximately $750,000 in losses.

“In the coop we had 500 chickens and so we would slaughter them like the Monday after the storm. So, you know, we buy all of the [chicken] feeds to feed them already. So that is a loss. And then the storm come, the tree fell on the top, and the water came in and drown some,” Simmonds-Small told JIS News during an interview.

She added that the remainder of the flock was trampled and suffocated when the birds tried to escape the water that was  running inside the damaged coop.

The poultry farmer noted that while a few survived the initial weather onslaught, they ultimately died.

“The few that survived we brought them to another coop, but after –  because they already get wet and cold, and let me say, muddy – so they died after a while,” she said.

Simmonds-Small noted that she also lost some 100 chickens from her second coop, which held younger birds.

To compound her loss, the impact of the power outage in Bonnet district has exacerbated Simmonds-Small’s financial distress. She is unable to cull and sell her remaining chickens because, without electricity, she has no refrigeration for storage.

Consequently, she must bear the added cost of feeding the flock past the standard six-week timeline.

“It’s very hard, honestly. Sometimes we don’t feed them according to the usual amount. If we used to feed them five bags in the morning and five in the evening, maybe we can just feed them five for the day alone instead of 10. Because you still can’t spend a lot of money, and then you don’t want them to get too big, because maybe the person still don’t want to buy them,” Simmonds-Small explained.

She noted that she will also miss out on holiday sales, as she would usually put in young chickens already, which would be ready around the Christmas period or in January to supply schools in the area.

Consequently, Simmonds-Small is looking forward to the assistance that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining plans to provide.

In the meantime, Minister Green stated that more than 1.1 million birds were lost during the major storm that battered sections of Jamaica on October 28.

He noted that  approximately $40 million has been allocated to purchase broiler chickens and feed as well as assist with rebuilding chicken houses that were destroyed in the hurricane.

“It would be very, very great. It would be a great help if I get the help from the minister,” Simmonds-Small said, noting that the ministry’s help is crucial for covering the costs of educating her three school-aged children – two at university and one in high school.

–       JIS