Toledo East Area Rep. Demands Assistance for Corn Farmers Affected by Hurricane Nana

Mike Espat

Tropical Storm Nana made landfall as a weak Category One hurricane in southern Belize around midnight on September second.  Hardest hit were the agro and aquaculture industries and according to NEMO Minister Edmond Castro, Hurricane Nana caused damages to the tune of approximately five point four million dollars. And while much attention is being given to the banana industry, Toledo East Area Representative Mike Espat says that corn farmers need assistance.

Mike Espat, Area Rep., Toledo East

“I have heard absolutes no interest in the farmers of the Toledo District. It is really pathetic to see the damage with the corn plantations in our district. I was in Dolores, Oxtoha, all the corn fields are down. I have seen no interest in the Ministry of Agriculture. Why is it that they have not been able to come up with some idea of utilizing what is in the fields because it is all left and in the next two or three weeks most of that will rot. The farmers have already gone through this problem with this virus. Now they are going through another problem because the Maya people in my district survive on corn. Just like the Chinese surviving on rice and when you take away that corn from them you are talking hard time, really hard time. And to compound that Madam Speaker with all the money we have been spending, the chairman from Barranco Village, a tiny village of Garifuna people thirty five homes the bus cannot even get to that village.  You have to have people behind to push the bus to get into Barranco Village. The same applies to Crique Sarco Village. It is really a shame and a disgrace that these people for the past thirteen years have been having a very difficult time and absolutely no interest from the government.”