FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages 11/98 - CUBA (2 November)
Hurricane rains and flooding, combined with high force winds in late September, affected particularly the provinces of Guantánamo, Holguín, Las Tunas, Granma, and Santiago de Cuba in the extreme eastern parts of the Island, which had suffered extreme El Niño-induced drought conditions earlier in the year. Extensive damage has been caused to housing and infrastructure, as well as to some important staple crops such as plantains. The vital foreign exchange earner sugar cane crop for 1998/99 was badly affected. Various sugar mills are reported damaged. Other cash crops like coffee and cocoa were also severely affected. The country had suffered a severe disruption to harvesting of the important sugar cane crop in April and subsequently experienced substantial foodcrop losses because of the prolonged drought. The current losses inflicted by the hurricane represent a further blow to the vulnerable agricultural sector and have aggravated the difficult food supply situation in the country.
An emergency appeal for 34 000 tonnes of relief food to assist some 615 000 persons, mostly nursing mothers, school children and drought victims in the eastern provinces was launched in early September. A request for the emergency rehabilitation of agricultural activities has also been made by the Government.
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