Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – March 7, 2018 – Six months since Hurricane Irma and the Turks and Caicos is still tallying the mounting costs of the ferocious storm which dealt a catastrophic blow to all industries, including agriculture.
In a one on one with Magnetic Media, the Director of Agriculture, Wilhelmina Kissoonsingh explained that damages to crops, infrastructure and production could easily be put to just under half a million dollars, with the hydroponics farm in Providenciales being completely wiped out.
Hurricane Irma hit the territory on September 7, 2017 and as an unprecedented weather event, she not only brought wind gusts of over 200 mph but lashed out on all of the islands in the chain.
While many sectors were able to tap into some concession in order to swiftly ‘rebuild better’, there was no specific duty free allowance for farmers. The Director explained that the newly drafted and soon to be instituted Agriculture Policy will change that.
“I have just finished the implementation plan which now has to go forward to approvals from the Minister and Permanent Secretary before moving forward. One of the things in there is that we need to look at the customs list and revise it to take into consideration all agriculture imports and then it would be a simple, for want of a better word, almost automatic process for farmers that sets the zero tariffs.”
Ms. Kissoonsingh informs that once the policy is approved and activated, registered farmers could easily access any tax breaks government would have pre-arranged so that the farming sector is able to recover more swiftly following a disaster.
The two main farmers in North Caicos both confirmed heart-breaking devastation at their sites. Green Acres Farm owned by Emmanuel Missick told Magnetic Media there has been no help despite his direct contact of Government Ministers. Grace Farms, owned by Courtney Missick reported the same.
The Director said the Department is working though to get the policy in place which will set up the legal framework which we understand makes farmers and their work impossible to ignore when it comes to imports.
Across the public sector, there were fiscal cutbacks in the aftermath of the storm. While this hindered what the Agriculture Department, which falls under the Ministry of Health, could do for farmers, the Director explained that she often puts pen to paper to get help for the farmers.
“What I do is write on farmers’ behalf to the PS finance asking can you please assist by waving the customs duty on x-y for farmers and it is up to Finance to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. So over the two years, one or two persons have gotten duty free but it is long process.”
Water logging, infrastructure damage, destroyed crops and dead livestock were reported of the farms in the Turks and Caicos following Hurricane Irma. Some pigs, goats and chickens were all casualties of hurricane, which tore through Her Majesty’s Prison causing major structural damage; the prison farm was also lost.
“It was about a 25 per cent loss but the prison farm, they suffered quite a bit there in Grand Turk, so they lost a large amount of their infrastructure including some of the animals and crops.”
The prison farm alone will need over $100,000 to be rebuilt, the Director said.
The Agriculture Department was included in the UN ECLAC survey of damages following the two hurricanes. The group surmised that cumulative costs and losses due to both Irma and Maria were $558,065,214, well over half a billion dollars – all sectors, all islands.
Director Kissoonsingh said her final count of the financial blow to the industry is unofficial, but believes for certain the sector will need an investment of $350,000 to make full recovery. As for losses due to the setback in progresses made by the farmers; that would likely take the hurricane’s toll on the agriculture sector to around $500,000.