Hurricane Keith in Belize
Report from the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Cooperatives
Hon. Daniel Silva, Minister
Hurricane Keith brought disaster and destruction to Belize. The excessive wind,
torrential rains and resulting floods grievously affected the central and northern
regions of Belize and about two thirds of the agricultural and fisheries sectors.
The economic value of the loss or damage has been estimated at US$105.8 million
for agriculture and US$ 6.0 for fisheries.
What is more devastating to our sectors is that the rising waters and flooding
in the plains along the major rivers in the region (i.e. Sibun, Belize, Rio
Hondo and New River) has caused the displacement of thousands of persons and
the destruction of their agricultural systems and fields. It is already anticipated
that many of these farmers who are dependent on subsistence and commercial farming,
are facing two to four months of loss of food and/or income. In effect, the
food and nutirition security of these farming families, as well as that of the
whole country, is under threat. Clearly, the most affected are the small farmers.
They are the main group to whom we wish to target our assistance.
Presently staff from the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the
affected farmers and fishermen, sector leaders and partners in Belize, are drafting
plans for a) emergency measures and b) rehabilitation and disaster mitigation
plans in an effort to mobilize local, national and international resources to
tackle urgent needs and priorities at hand.
The immediate, urgent needs for the agriculture and fisheries sectors are as
follows:
- Seeds, planting materials, fertilizers, inputs for basic food commodities
such as rice, corn, beans, potato and vegetables
- Small machinery and/or equipment for land preparation and tilling, irrigation,
and well drilling
- Small boats, machines and gears for artesanary fishing
Additional resources are also required to:
- Support and promote farmer organization for enterprise rehabiliation and
disaster mitigation
- Finance and refinance crop, livestock and fisheries loans on concessionary
terms
- Support credit unions to reach out to the small and micro sectors, with
credit, training and enterprise development
- Mount a farmers' register to assess and monitor production, income and capacity
during the recovery period
Complementary assistance urgently needed in the rural sector is also a priority,
such as:
- Food relief for flooded and/or isolated communities
- Repair or reconstruction of work sheds, storage facilities
- Repair to access and feeder roads to agricultural fields
- Repair and improvement of potable water systems for rural villages
- Repair to rural residential dwellings and schools.
