Sandy caused losses of RD$933 million on farms

SANTO DOMINGO. As Hurricane Sandy wound its way north, it left damages for more than RD$933 million in the Dominican Republic. The wind and rains affected large plantations of tomatoes and plantains, products which are experiencing a price increase in the local markets and supermarkets.

A total of 153,661 "tareas" (over 9,500 hectares) and the losses were said to be RD$989 million all over the country.

The information was presented yesterday by the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Ramon Rodriguez, during a meeting with editors and reports from the economic sections of the country's newspapers in his office.

The crops that were affected in the regional area were, in the greatest proportion, plantains, bananas, coffee, avocado, beans, chick peas, yucca, sweet potatoes, rice, corn, onions, watermelons and tomatoes.

In the Southwest, Sandy damaged 43,693 tareas of farm production for a loss of RD$358.7 million; in the Central Region, the losses were 26,455 tarea and a value of RD$264 million.

Likewise, in the South, the affected areas were said total 78,440 tareas and a loss of RD$362 million; in the Northwest, the storm affected 4.410 tareas for a loss of RD$441,000 and in the North, just 663 tareas and a loss of RD$3.8 million.

In total, the area affected was 153,661 tareas and the losses were RD$989 million.

In the South and in Constanza, some 300,000 tareas were affected and 174,000 tareas of plantains in the southern part of the country.

In Ocoa, the entire open air tomato crop was damaged and more than 100,000 m2 of greenhouses were damaged. In Constanza there were 45,000 m2 of greenhouses were destroyed.

The minister said that the price of tomatoes has had a big increase because the majority of the production was lost and the same thing happened with plantains, but there is the option of the many bananas that are in the market.

He also reported that the damage to farm animals was RD$4.0 million, with most of the losses (RD$3.7 million) in the South and the remainder in the North.

In order to deal with this situation, the Minister of Agriculture said that with the funds that were freed up by President Danilo Medina, some RD$207 million, in addition to the RD$200 million that had been provided for the damage done by tropical storm Isaac, the ministry has RD$407 million for immediate use to begin the recovery from the negative impact of Sandy.