Hurricane Melissa's impact felt at Green Acres Farmer’s Market in St Catherine

This year’s staging of the Green Acres Farmers’ Market in St Catherine was scaled down, with fewer people in attendance and limited produce due to the impact of the deadly Hurricane Melissa.

The event was held earlier on Monday.

“We are seeing [fewer] products, as sections of St Elizabeth and other parishes were affected by the hurricane, so there are fewer people to supply the items,” said buyer Michelle Dalhouse.

Items available included Irish and sweet potatoes, callaloo, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers and garlic. There was no yam on sale. Hot peppers, priced at $4,000 per pound, left some buyers uneasy.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for St Catherine West Central Dr Christopher Tufton said that while the availability of produce affects affordability, the market remains an important part of community life.

“I almost cancelled it, but we decided not to," he said. "The people look forward to it, therefore we pulled through. We had to get farmers from Tru-Juice to supply their products, along with the faithful few sellers."

The market has been operating for the past seven years.

The category five storm struck Jamaica on October 28, killing at least 45 persons and wiping out significant aspects of the country's agricultural production in western parishes, including St Elizabeth.

-Rasbert Turner

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