The cost of some vegetables on Trinidad and Tobago has soared after the devastating October floods. Following the severe flooding affecting areas of Trinidad during the period October 19-21, the National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (NAMDEVCO) said the prices of vegetables like tomatoes, eggplants and sweet peppers have doubled as farmers' crops were decimated.
Chief Executive Officer Nirmalla Debysingh-Persad told LoopTT that the Corporation’s immediate response was to determine the extent of the damage and which areas were most severely affected. Most deeply impacted were farms in: Caroni, St. Andrew, Nariva/Mayaro, and St. Andrew/St. David, with 45% to 95% of the acreage being affected by the flooding.
Affected to a lesser extent were St. George Central and Victoria East. Victoria North and St. Patrick registered the lowest negative impact.
Assessments further revealed that in the most severely affected areas, between 60 and 100% losses were experienced, with crops such as celery, followed by severe losses of cauliflower, watermelon, sweet pepper and cucumber. Least affected were citrus, lettuce and cassava.
“NAMDEVCO has since been in constant contact with the farmers, providing technical support and advice, as well as safer pesticides, fungicides, etc., to help them prevent pest infestations and the spread of infectious diseases following the flooding.”
