NEW HOLLAND
Jamaica’s agricultural heartland is reeling after Category 5 Hurricane Melissa tore through the island earlier this week, destroying farms, killing livestock, and triggering fears of food shortages.
In St. Elizabeth parish, known as Jamaica’s breadbasket, 69-year-old egg farmer Osbourne Brumley lost both of his “hurricane-proof” facilities to Melissa’s 185-mph (298-kph) winds. His J$540 million ($3.37 million) investment was wiped out, killing thousands of chickens and halting production of 75,000 eggs per day that supplied over 200 supermarkets and 14 hotels. “There’s no other egg farm in Jamaica the size of mine,” Brumley said, warning of a “massive” egg shortage in the coming weeks.
The storm flattened fields of yams, pumpkins, cassava, and potatoes, leaving farmers unable to replant until at least February. Many predict rising prices and long-term food insecurity, compounding damage from Hurricane Beryl in 2024, which had already disrupted the island’s food supply.
Agriculture Minister Floyd Green said Melissa dealt a “crippling blow” to Jamaica’s most productive parishes, and full damage assessments are underway. The government plans to form a disaster recovery task force, draw on international aid, and temporarily increase imports, including liquid eggs, to stabilize supplies.
“It won’t be a quick recovery,” Green admitted, “but Jamaican farmers are resilient. Once given the means to start again, they will rebuild.”
