22 August 07, WINFA press release

WINFA has embarked on a number of initiatives to seek assistance for the farmers of the Windward Islands, the Fair Trade farmers of Dominica and St.Lucia in particular, in light of their pressing needs following the devastation caused by hurricane Dean. Preliminary assessments so far indicate almost total destruction in Dominica, 75-80% damage in St.Lucia and a much smaller figure of about 10% in St.Vincent. WINFA hereby expresses its solidarity with all farmers affected, banana and non-banana alike and is working in conjunction with other stakeholders including the Governments of the Windward Islands to ensure a speedy revival of the banana industry and agriculture in general.

WINFA leaders and leaders of the Fair Trade organizations have already made assessment visits to the areas most affected in St.Lucia and Dominica. In St.Lucia these visits included representatives of the Fair Trade Labelling Organization (FLO) while in Dominica WINFA leaders, led by President Ms. Marcella Harris are hosting similar assessment visits by representatives of OXFAM. Meetings have also been held there with Prime Minister Hon. Roosevelt Skerritt who has pledged his government’s full support for the recovery efforts. WINFA Co-ordinator Renwick Rose is due to visit both islands later this week for further  discussions.

Renwick Rose (WINFA)

 

Hurricane Dean devastates Fairtrade banana crops in the Windward Islands
21 August 07, The Fairtrade Foundation press release

Banana farmers in the Windward Islands who that supply the UK Fairtrade market have been severely affected by Hurricane Dean, the storm has battered parts of the Caribbean and now hit the Mexican coast. An estimated 90% of banana farms have been damaged on St Lucia and the situation is reportedly even worse on Dominica and neighbouring islands.

The hurricane brought winds of up to100 mph, which buffeted the islands of St Lucia and Dominica during the early hours of Friday morning before moving on to the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica and other islands.
Meredith Cochrane, Fairtrade Foundation Campaigns Manager, who was caught on St Lucia in the middle of the hurricane on Friday morning, described the scene after the storm: “Going around the island’s banana farms, the damage is shocking. The industry is absolutely devastated. Driving across the island, field after field has bananas trees lying snapped on the ground with bananas that will never grow.  The heavier the bananas were and the closer the farmers were to harvesting, the less chance there was of the plants’ survival.”

Speaking by telephone from St Lucia, Meredith said that, due to severe crop damage, many of the banana farmers will not be able to harvest for up to six months until the replanted crops bear fruit. The damage varies according to region, but, at the banana reception centre today where the fruit is inspected, weighed and packed into containers, it is estimated that production has fallen to around 40% - 50% of normal levels.

Conrad James, a banana farmer from St Lucia who farms a 5.6 acre farm with his wife Josephine and toured the UK during Fairtrade Fortnight 2007, has lost his entire crop. Conrad said: “I have a lot of work on my shoulders but I will keep growing bananas. I will build this up again. Just please keep buying Fairtrade bananas.”   Conrad and his wife lost everything once before in the hurricane storms of 2004.  Like so many of his neighbours, he had to replant after the storms. This current disaster will mean he will not have an income until his crop grows back in around six months.

Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica, spoke at the launch of Fairtrade Fortnight in February, when he reflected on the impact Fairtrade has had in turning around the fortunes of the islands’ small-scale banana farmers. Facing an uphill struggle against falling supermarket prices, competition from industrial plantations and changing EU trade rules, Fairtrade has proved a lifeline for banana growers, transforming their fortunes and enabling them to invest in social and educational community projects. The recent groundbreaking announcement by Sainsbury’s to switch 100% of their bananas to Fairtrade has provided further grounds for hope for producers in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Hurricane Dean is now ploughing into the coast of Mexico near the border with Belize where it could also affect Fairtrade sugar and cocoa farmers.
The Fairtrade Foundation is speaking to its founding member organizations like Oxfam who are expected to fundraise for reconstruction and rebuilding for producers who have been affected by the hurricane.