The banana industry in Saint Lucia and the Windward Islands could need more than six months to fully recover from a hurricane that devastated the key export earner, officials said Monday.
"As a country, we may be able to export bananas in May or June 2011," Saint Lucia Agriculture Minister Ezekiel Joseph told reporters following an official assessment of the damage by Hurricane Tomas, which struck on October 30.
He added, however, that demand in key importer Britain would be higher next year, which could help speed the industry's recovery.
"Whilst there are a lot of sad stories, there are opportunities for us as a country to capitalize on what is happening right now," he said.
The category one hurricane killed at least 14 people, sending massive landslides across major roads and devastating a local agriculture and livestock industry already weakened by a recent drought.
Winfresh, a regional exporter that markets Windward Islands bananas in Europe, said the industry could suffer losses of nearly 30 million dollars (40 million euros) over the next six months.
Errol Reid, the director of technical support for Winfresh, told reporters that exports could drop by 40,000 tonnes for the remainder of the year, representing a loss of 20 percent of total exports for 2010.
"It's a substantial loss which will last at least for the next six months," he said.
"As the second major income earner for these islands after tourism, this represents a major setback."
Bananas from Saint Lucia and nearby Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, all hit by the storm, are especially popular in Britain, officials said.
Saint Lucia, part of the Lesser Antilles in the east of the Caribbean Sea, became independent from Britain in 1979. It now has its own government, but still recognizes Queen Elizabeth II as head of state.
The government has said the damage from Tomas may cost up to 185 million dollars, posing a major economic challenge to the island's 170,000 residents.
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