With the start of the hurricane season days away, the Ministry of Agriculture is taking a major step to protect the livelihoods of the island’s most vulnerable farmers.
Agriculture Minister Alfred Prospere has announced the upcoming launch of a new insurance mechanism tailored specifically for banana and plantain farmers whose crops are highly susceptible to storm and wind damage.
“This is the time of the year our farmers are most vulnerable,” Prospere said, adding that the effects of climate change are making each season increasingly uncertain. “Every year, one would anticipate that there would be some natural disaster, whether it’s high rainfall, wind, hurricane… [or] tropical storm.”
The new insurance programme, developed in partnership with Grace Kennedy, is set to roll out in the coming weeks. It will initially target banana and plantain farmers, with EC$1 million already earmarked in this year’s national budget.
“We know it’s not going to cover the entire [agricultural] sector, but we are going to start with the most vulnerable sector,” he said.
The initiative aims to reduce dependency on post-disaster government compensation. “We have an insurance package in place to assist,” Prospere said, expressing hope that the plan will help restore confidence among farmers. “If my plantation, if my investment is affected or impacted as a result of a natural disaster, I do not have to solely depend on the government for compensation.”
Plans are in place to eventually extend insurance coverage across the entire agricultural sector, including vegetable farmers, poultry producers, livestock farmers, fishers and agro-processors.
“What we anticipate from our farmers is that at some point you will have to be called to make a contribution,” Prospere noted, hinting at a future model where contributions could be tied to produce sales through local buyers such as the Marketing Board, Massy Stores, or the hospitality sector.
This marks the first agricultural insurance programme in Saint Lucia since a similar initiative for banana farmers in the 1980s. Its return comes at a crucial time, as meteorologists predict an above-average Atlantic/Caribbean hurricane season starting June 1.
The Ministry of Agriculture is expected to provide more details on the insurance rollout soon.
