John Myers Jr., Business Reporter

Donovan Stanberry, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, has sought help from various international agencies to help foot the restoration bill. - file

It will take $9 billion to bring the island's agricultural sector back to pre-Hurricane Dean levels, based on assessments carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands in the aftermath of the disaster.

"The cost to the sector in terms of restoration is about $9 billion, if you add the loss in terms of revenue forecast it would have been more," said permanent secretary in the Ministry, Donovan Stanberry. Jamaica's farms and estates were ravaged in the August 19 storm, which decimated bananas and slapped $2 billion of losses on the sugar sector.

The destruction effectively reversed the noticeable growth in the sector, which was on the mend from Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricanes Emily and Dennis in 2005.

In the first fiscal quarter, agricultural production was up 3.0 per cent in the first fiscal quarter to the end of June, equalled in performance only by financial services, both of which made the greatest contribution to overall economic growth of 1.8 per cent for the quarter.

According to the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), the agricultural sector grew an average 15 per cent last year and was the main catalyst behind the growth of the economy for the period.

Agricultural exports also grew by 52 per cent in 2006/07.

Dean, however, has destroyed 90 per cent of bananas; while coffee, another key export crop, had 40 per cent damage; the fierce winds destroyed 30 per cent of sugar canes in the field and 20 per cent of citrus.

The overall damage to domestic produce was about 50 per cent, with additional losses in livestock and tree crops.

The 30 per cent falloutfor sugar reported by the ministry does not include damage to infrastructure and loss of earnings, which when added, pushed the figure to approximately $2 billion.

However, the hurricane did not affect this year's sugar crop. Jamaica recorded sugar production of 163,235 tonnes to the end of July - over 3,000 tonnes more than the original projection.

Hurricane relief package

A $225 million hurricane relief package has been announced from the sector, but with the official estimate of damage now in hand, officials now say other measures are required to push start the sector.

"When you have a crisis you will have to reallocate," said Stanberry.

"Certainly we will have to prioritise and see the areas which are most critical."

Stanberry was scheduled to meet with various international agencies Friday, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), European Union, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to talk funding assistance and support.

"Now that we have the assessment we are now ready to sit down to engage them and say this is what we have lost and this is our area of need," he told Wednesday Business.

"New monies will emerge from that in terms of what they can assist us with."

The permanent secretary said USAID has already pledged to assist with restoring greenhouses, as well as support for the coffee and cocoa industries.

The IICA has committed support for small poultry farmers and greenhouse rehabilitation.

A team from the FAO, an agency of the United Nations, is expected to arrive in the island this week to carry out assessments, after which the organisation will determine the areas where it will render assistance.

In the meantime, Stanberry said the ministry would have to await the reconvening of Cabinet to determine what additional support the Government would give.

john.myers@gleanerjm.com