Major banana farm ahead of recovery schedule

The hurricane, a Category 4 storm, led to an estimated $600 million loss due to widespread crop destruction and infrastructure damage.

However, the farm's recovery programme has exceeded expectations, with the process progressing much faster than initially anticipated.

Mario Figueroa, General Manager at JP Farms, attributes the quick recovery to the dedication of the farm team and good field practices ahead of the hurricane that resulted in more resilient plants.

“Rehabilitation work began just one day after the hurricane, driven by the team’s dedication and commitment to recovery. Many of us, including myself, were without electricity or running water at home, but that didn’t deter our efforts.  For several weeks after the hurricane, the farm office became a hub, with every charging port occupied by phones and laptops charging, and workers filling up on drinking water to take home,” Figueroa said.

He further reported that JP Farms has spent over $2.5 million to date on repairing housing and providing building materials, water tanks and solar lights to aid in home repair efforts for members of the farm team who received more extensive damage.

Emphasising the team’s commitment to the resuscitation programme, Carlton Benjamin, one of the supervisors on the ground in St. Mary noted that some farm duties have also shifted, with packhouse workers volunteering to work in the fields to speed up the recovery of bunches and the replanting of viable plants.

Oral Lewis, coordinator of extension services at The Banana Board of Jamaica, commended JP Farms for their quick progress.

“JP Farms was one of 79 farmers registered with the Banana Industry Catastrophic Fund. JP Farms has been a part of the fund since inception. The fund was able to subsidise relief materials for farmers, but in JP Farms’ case, the subsidy amounts to just 3% of the total cost of rehabilitation,” Lewis stated.

Since the passage of Hurricane Beryl, JP Farms has also implemented measures to increase the resilience of its farm. These include reinforcing drainage, planting more windbreaks, and replanting shorter varieties of bananas that can better withstand high winds.

The farm quickly mobilized to address the damage, particularly in the chopback phase, which involved removing toppled plants and replanting uprooted ones. This phase, originally planned to take eight weeks, was completed in just four weeks across more than 280 acres of the farm.

In addition to crop restoration, essential farm infrastructure such as drainage systems, cableways, and underground irrigation were repaired seamlessly. This ensured the continuation of normal farming practices, such as weed control and disease management.

Despite personal hardships, including power outages and water shortages, the farm team worked relentlessly to rebuild. They even took on additional responsibilities; packhouse workers volunteered in the fields to speed up the recovery process.

While the banana crops were severely affected, JP Farms' pineapple business remained largely unaffected by the hurricane, ensuring a steady supply of pineapples while the banana farm focused on recovery.

The recovery is progressing so well that JP Farms expects to return bananas to supermarket shelves by late January 2025 – five weeks earlier than initially anticipated.

The shock to the banana industry has seen prices skyrocketed. The average price for green bananas currently hovers at $500 per dozen, $1,000 per dozen for ripe bananas, while a finger of ripe or green plantain is being sold on average between $300 and $500 respectively.