Heavy downpours last week in Costa Rica have caused damages to banana, plantain and vegetable plantations in the Central American country, according to a report by La Nación.
The Costa Rican Banana Corporation’s (Corbana) general manager, Jorge Sauma, told La Nación that some banana plantations have been affected in certain areas of Siquirres, mainly along the banks of the Reventazón River.
With the possibility of further rainfall to come, Sauma warned of an immediate threat to areas where dams have been breached.
Banana plantations in the Estrella valley have also been impacted, according to Sauma, as well as the País farm, which belongs to Corbana and is leased by Del Monte.
A spokesperson for the Costa Rican Ministry of Agriculture (Mag) said the worst affected areas are located in the south of country’s Caribbean province, the banana-growing areas of Matina and Siquirres and towns in the eastern part of the Cártago region (Paraíso, Jiménez and Turrialba).
Some 2,000ha of plantain production have suffered varying degrees of damage, while flooding has occurred on some banana plantations, according to La Nación.
There is also reported damage to vegetable crops including tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, squash and carrots.
Mag is currently evaluating the damage and expects to reveal the level of losses by the end of the week, the report said.
Costa Rica’s national meteorological institute (IMN) has warned of further consequences as a result of the El Niño phenomenon, which causes a rise in rainfall in the Caribbean and a reduction in showers in the Pacific.
IMN said El Niño’s impact in Costa Rica has been “very intense” since June, adding that it predicts further strong rainfall in the Limón province as well as a more severe hurricane season than 2011.
