Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico hard. A Category 4 storm, the strongest to hit the island in more than 80 years, Hurricane Maria left a path of destruction in her wake. The preliminary death toll stands at 10. Most of the island is still without power, and the extent of the damage to critical infrastructure has yet to be fully assessed. Some estimate that the economic damage could total $30 billion: a troubling development for a small island already treading fiscally shaky ground.
Amongst the difficulties Puerto Rico faces on the way to rehabilitation is the decimation Hurricane Maria wrought on the island's agricultural industry. 80% of Puerto Rico's crop value has been completely destroyed, according to Carlos Flores Ortega, the territory's secretary of the Department of Agriculture. Preliminary estimates show that Hurricane Maria has thus far caused a $780 million loss in agricultural productivity, adding to the $45 million damage from Hurricane Irma, which barely skirted the island earlier this month.
It could be a year or more before the industry is able to regain its footing as farmers must undertake the gradual process of replanting trees and rehabilitating the soil. Cattle ranchers have also been dealt a major blow, as power outages, closures, and damages to roads have interrupted their supply chains.
Known historically for its production of sugar cane and tobacco, Puerto Rico is now heavily industrialized. Manufacturing, finance, and tourism are its primary economic drivers these days, with agriculture accounting for just .8% of its gross domestic product. As such, Puerto Rico relies heavily on imports for sustenance: about 85% of all food on the island is foreign-grown.
Recently, however, Puerto Rico had been experiencing something of an agricultural revival. Driven partly by the farm-to-table movement and partly by a decade-long recession that has left farming one of few reliable employment opportunities, the agricultural industry has grown at a rate of 3 to 5% annually since 2010. Local farmer's markets and urban community gardens have boomed as have major corporations like Monsanto
Hurricane Maria's rampant destruction could put a stop to all that. Puerto Rico may turn to even higher import rates as it attempts to replace homegrown staples like coffee, plantains, and bananas. Food shortages could lead to price inflation, or a total lack of product altogether.
Some remain optimistic. Mr. Flores, for his part, hopes that Hurricane Maria's near-total annihilation of the industry will prove an opportunity to start fresh. Much of Puerto Rico's farming infrastructure is outdated, and Mr. Flores hopes that Puerto Rico will be able to use this blank slate to create a system that is less wasteful and more productive.
And Puerto Rico isn't the only place to suffer losses in the agricultural industry in this hurricane season. Hurricane Harvey blew through cotton fields in Texas and scattered or destroyed herds of livestock, while Hurricane Irma left orange crops in Florida waterlogged.
- https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/25/hurricane-maria-wiped-away-about-80-percent-of-puerto-ricos-farming-industry.html
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/09/08/some-ways-hurricanes-irma-and-harvey-may-hurt-your-finances-miles-storm-zone/639165001/
- https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/puerto-rico-experiences-agricultural-renaissance-n656001
