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I know over the years that there are many who judge jamaicanness on multiple cliches....And ascribe jamaicaness on a youthful passing tangential experience of the country...
To me beign a Jamaican is Mango Season......So much so that until two years ago I never ate a mango in any country but Jamaica...
So I saw this tragedy....
St Thomas mango crop wilting under drought
Mango farmers also plagued by praedial thieves
BY INGRID BROWN ?Associate Editor – Special Assignment [email protected]
Monday, April 15, 2013
SMALL mango farmers in Yallahs, St Thomas, are hurting from the severe drought which has been affecting the island.
Some of them — many of whom rely solely on the sale of the fruit for an income —have lost crops to bush fires while others have witnessed entire fields withering and dying.
“See, is a whole heap ah mango trees destroyed during a bush fire last week and that is how hard hit we get,” farmer Nettie-May Walker said, as she pointed to acres of destroyed mango trees in Heartease.
According to the farmers, many of the trees have simply failed to yield half as much fruit as they did in previous years. They contend that if a workable irrigation system were in place they would have been spared the significant losses they have been suffering.
The farmers explained that there used to be a canal irrigation system to channel the water to individual farms, but that it was discontinued a few years ago, when water from the parish was redirected to Kingston.
The farmers said they were promised that the system, which once served a US-based fruit company, would be resuscitated, but to date the project is yet to get off the ground.
Of the seven types of mango trees in Walker’s yard, only two have yielded fruit this year, and this the farmer said is highly unusual, given that in previous years all would be laden. In times past, Walker said, farmers were able to sell a combined truckload of the fruit to either a factory which cans it, or to exporters.
“Last year, when you see the amount of East Indian...what is happening this year is a big loss, Walker told the Jamaica Observer North East, adding that there are vendors who would normally purchase as many as 30 dozen mangoes at a time. The cost of the mangoes ranges from $500 to $800 a dozen, depending on the quantity being bought.
The soil in Yallahs, according to the farmers, does not hold water for long, and as such, it requires constant irrigation. However, it is a result of this, they said, that the community produced so much of the East Indian variety, in particular.
Even as the farmers grapple with the effect of the drought, they are also battling praedial thieves who prey on their crops at night. One farmer, who asked not to be identified, said they sometimes have to stay up at night to guard the trees.
“I hear that there are people who tape the little flashlight phone to their wrist and that is the light they use at night to steal the mangoes,” he said, adding that regardless of how vigilant farmers are the thieves always found ways of outsmarting them.
The farmers said they got some reprieve last year with the introduction of the receipt book, but they believe the police have slacked off this year in enforcing the measure where persons are required to produce a receipt for agricultural produce, if required by the lawmen.
“Last year the police made a big impact on praedial larceny and we saw the difference then, because before that everybody was a mango tief,” he said.
But whether it’s to nature or thieves, losing their mango crop is a big hit for farmers, particularly because — contrary to what some persons may believe — they have to invest a lot of money in the venture as the trees will not bear if left unattended.
“Is not like East Indian mango trees grow wild because if you don’t attend to them, they will not bear a single mango,” a farmer said.
The expense begins with the planting of the tree, which has to be engrafted for it to yield East Indian mangoes. It takes several years to reach maturity, according to the farmers. This is followed by regular pruning, which must be done professionally in order to ensure that all the fruits do not end up being small.
“These mangoes require a lot of care and we have to treat the roots regularly with white lime, which acts as a sanitiser to keep the insects away from infesting the fruit,” the farmer said.
The mango season is usually twice a year, with the first reaping in February, followed by the August-September harvest.
But even the seasons now seem to be working against the farmers as Hurricane Sandy, which hit the island last October, is said to have contributed to the change in crop schedule this year. The heavy winds brought by the hurricane have also been blamed for destroying trees.
“Right now, the crop is running late because of the last hurricane and so some of the trees dem just a blossom,” explained Walker, who noted that the farmers will be in even more trouble if the island is affected by a cold front, as this would destroy the blossoms.
Challenges aside, however, the mango farmers said they often have a ready market for their mangoes, except for some years when there is an influx of the fruit.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz2QXIAfDHg
To me beign a Jamaican is Mango Season......So much so that until two years ago I never ate a mango in any country but Jamaica...
So I saw this tragedy....
St Thomas mango crop wilting under drought
Mango farmers also plagued by praedial thieves
BY INGRID BROWN ?Associate Editor – Special Assignment [email protected]
Monday, April 15, 2013
SMALL mango farmers in Yallahs, St Thomas, are hurting from the severe drought which has been affecting the island.
Some of them — many of whom rely solely on the sale of the fruit for an income —have lost crops to bush fires while others have witnessed entire fields withering and dying.
  These East Indian mango trees in Yallahs, St Thomas, were destroyed during a recent bush fire.  1/3  |
According to the farmers, many of the trees have simply failed to yield half as much fruit as they did in previous years. They contend that if a workable irrigation system were in place they would have been spared the significant losses they have been suffering.
The farmers explained that there used to be a canal irrigation system to channel the water to individual farms, but that it was discontinued a few years ago, when water from the parish was redirected to Kingston.
The farmers said they were promised that the system, which once served a US-based fruit company, would be resuscitated, but to date the project is yet to get off the ground.
Of the seven types of mango trees in Walker’s yard, only two have yielded fruit this year, and this the farmer said is highly unusual, given that in previous years all would be laden. In times past, Walker said, farmers were able to sell a combined truckload of the fruit to either a factory which cans it, or to exporters.
“Last year, when you see the amount of East Indian...what is happening this year is a big loss, Walker told the Jamaica Observer North East, adding that there are vendors who would normally purchase as many as 30 dozen mangoes at a time. The cost of the mangoes ranges from $500 to $800 a dozen, depending on the quantity being bought.
The soil in Yallahs, according to the farmers, does not hold water for long, and as such, it requires constant irrigation. However, it is a result of this, they said, that the community produced so much of the East Indian variety, in particular.
Even as the farmers grapple with the effect of the drought, they are also battling praedial thieves who prey on their crops at night. One farmer, who asked not to be identified, said they sometimes have to stay up at night to guard the trees.
“I hear that there are people who tape the little flashlight phone to their wrist and that is the light they use at night to steal the mangoes,” he said, adding that regardless of how vigilant farmers are the thieves always found ways of outsmarting them.
The farmers said they got some reprieve last year with the introduction of the receipt book, but they believe the police have slacked off this year in enforcing the measure where persons are required to produce a receipt for agricultural produce, if required by the lawmen.
“Last year the police made a big impact on praedial larceny and we saw the difference then, because before that everybody was a mango tief,” he said.
But whether it’s to nature or thieves, losing their mango crop is a big hit for farmers, particularly because — contrary to what some persons may believe — they have to invest a lot of money in the venture as the trees will not bear if left unattended.
“Is not like East Indian mango trees grow wild because if you don’t attend to them, they will not bear a single mango,” a farmer said.
The expense begins with the planting of the tree, which has to be engrafted for it to yield East Indian mangoes. It takes several years to reach maturity, according to the farmers. This is followed by regular pruning, which must be done professionally in order to ensure that all the fruits do not end up being small.
“These mangoes require a lot of care and we have to treat the roots regularly with white lime, which acts as a sanitiser to keep the insects away from infesting the fruit,” the farmer said.
The mango season is usually twice a year, with the first reaping in February, followed by the August-September harvest.
But even the seasons now seem to be working against the farmers as Hurricane Sandy, which hit the island last October, is said to have contributed to the change in crop schedule this year. The heavy winds brought by the hurricane have also been blamed for destroying trees.
“Right now, the crop is running late because of the last hurricane and so some of the trees dem just a blossom,” explained Walker, who noted that the farmers will be in even more trouble if the island is affected by a cold front, as this would destroy the blossoms.
Challenges aside, however, the mango farmers said they often have a ready market for their mangoes, except for some years when there is an influx of the fruit.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz2QXIAfDHg
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