Consumers from Trinidad and Tobago will soon face a sweet pepper shortage. Predictions are that prices are going up. According to the Head of the Aranguez United Farmers Association, Satyananad Maharaj, the heat was wreaking havoc on farmers who now faced increased costs, more pests, and reduced water for irrigation: “Brace for a shortage of a lot of market goods and short crops that come out of the farms down here. If this type of weather continues, farmers may decide to save their money rather than plant and lose their labor and capital.” He added that produce such as sweet pepper, tomatoes, and cauliflower might be in short supply in the coming weeks if the heat wave continued.
Maharaj said farmers had accepted the situation and were dealing with it as best they could. “It’s not something you can solve. You can’t run out with a blanket and cover your produce, so we will get heavier losses due to the sun burning the crops.”
Source: newsday.co.tt