Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves on Wednesday said that St. Vincent has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of agricultural produce due to the passage of Tropical Storm Bret.
While speaking on NBC Radio, the Prime Minister said that a preliminary report states that losses amount to over $200, 000.
He said, “This is what the report from the Extension and Advisory Services Division of the Ministry of Agriculture says: the total amount comes close to $250, 000.
Meanwhile the Minister of Agriculture said based on his assessment, consumers could face a scarcity of plantains and bananas on the local market and the likelihood of higher prices.
According to Caesar, plantains and bananas are the two crops that were mainly damaged by the winds associated with the Tropical Storms, as well as some minor damages to some vegetable cultivation.
Based on a preliminary damage assessment, a total 113 reports of damage to housing structures has been confirmed by the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO).
The damage assessment began on Friday, the 23rd of June, after the all-clear was given, and the social assessment began on Saturday by the Ministry of National Mobilization and Social Development.
