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On Thursday, the disbursement of the emergency aid program subsidy will commence for producers of coffee, citrus, and bananas who encountered substantial losses due to Tropical Storm Ernesto in August, as per the announcement by Agriculture Secretary Ramón González Beiró on Sunday.
The allocation of the funds will occur on Thursday, Oct. 31, at the Rafael Llull Pérez Coliseum in Adjuntas, between 10 a.m. and noon.
“We encourage all coffee, citrus, and banana producers to participate this Thursday in Adjuntas to collect their checks,” González Beiró stated. “These aid packages will help restore crops and implement new agricultural techniques to enhance production on their farms.”
“We will conclude applications on [Wednesday] the 30th and start distributing checks on the 31st,” added the official.
The funds are part of an emergency initiative with a budget of $14 million, aimed at assisting in the recovery of farms and essential crops within the island’s agricultural sector. This support covers not only coffee, citrus, bananas, and plantains, but also extends to leasing agricultural machinery for road repairs, debris removal, and other vital agricultural activities. Those producers who secured insurance for their crops through the Agricultural Insurance Corp., known as CSA in Spanish, will be eligible for benefits.
The incentives will be allocated based on the type of crop and the total acres that are insured and affected. Coffee producers will gain $300 per impacted acre, while citrus producers will receive $380 per acre. For those cultivating bananas and plantains, the incentive will amount to $3,000 per acre, provided the crops are insured and have been affected.
Farmers who have been impacted have until Wednesday (Oct. 30) to submit their applications, which will be prioritized with a swift and effective assessment to meet the urgent requirements of each situation. To access the aid, farmers are required to visit the Department of Agriculture offices, where an agronomist will assess the unique needs of each farm and suggest the most suitable equipment for recovery operations.
