Tomato Farmers Grappling with Losses!

Since last week, we’ve been reporting on the impact of the floods across Belize. And tonight we give you a first look at the damage the flooding has caused on farmers in rural Belize. Today, our news team went to a farming community called Nago Bank located behind Maskall Village where they spoke with representatives of a cooperative that is Belize’s largest tomato producer. The farmers there shared their plight with us – noting that in the ten years since they have been established this is the biggest flooding devastation they have experienced.

Omar Gonzalez

Omar Gonzalez, Secretary, Los Pequenos Agricultores Y Ganadores de Nago Bank [Translated]

“Starting on Monday evening of last week, the rains started here with gusts of winds which at the start caused damage to the crops. We can say that the tomatoes and sweet peppers are supported with wooden sticks and all those were broken by the winds and the crops went down on the ground. And this is how the damage started and then the rains didn’t stop in this area until mid-day Thursday and it destroyed practically all our crops.”

Next week, we will bring you the full story the cooperative’s losses and their struggle to bounce back from the devastation.