Jamaica's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Mining has announced a US$100 million recovery program for banana and plantain farmers following Hurricane Melissa, which damaged the country's commercial crop.
The initiative will be implemented by The Banana Board and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority. According to the Jamaican Information Service, the program is expected to support approximately 5,000 farmers and rehabilitate more than 2,500 hectares of affected farms.
Portfolio Minister Floyd Green stated that assistance will include fertiliser distribution based on verified damage assessments and farm size. "We're going to provide them with some fertiliser based on verified damage assessments and farm size to ensure equity and effectiveness. We did this after Hurricane Beryl, and we saw good returns on the investment," he said.
Several growers have already begun recovery efforts with support from a catastrophe fund managed by The Banana Board. Payouts have been distributed to assist with farm rebuilding.
"A lot of them were out very early after Hurricane Melissa, trying to stand back up, trying to cut, trying to make sure that they can get production as quickly as possible," Minister Green said.
The minister also noted that importation of bananas and plantains is currently not possible due to disease risk considerations during the recovery period. "The Banana Board and the teams have done an excellent job of keeping Jamaica free from some of the diseases that have plagued banana and plantain crops all over the world, and we want to keep it that way," he stated.
In November 2025, the government confirmed that fruit and vegetable imports would be required following widespread agricultural losses linked to Hurricane Melissa.
The recovery program is intended to restore productive capacity in the banana and plantain sector and support farm-level rehabilitation across affected regions.
Source: The Voice
