Hurricane Gustav batters cotton crops hitting farmers hard

12 Sep '08

2 min read

Colossal damage blighted farmers as Hurricane Gustav battered through the fields flooding it with as much as 20 inches of rain.

Meteorologists have stated that Gustav wreaked even wider damage on Louisiana farmbelt industries than Katrina did in 2005. It has been found out that almost every crop on every field has been clobbered by the storm bringing about massive damage across the state.

Cotton is among the hardest hit by the hurricane as more than 47 percent of Louisiana cotton crop is estimated to have been lost. This means that the crop would suffer a loss of US $112 million as against the anticipated cash flow of $237 million from the crop before Gustav.

Experts believe that losses have multiplied largely due to the fact that the storm struck right during the peak of the harvest season and as a consequence, the damage will push up the cost of the harvest crops, which was already high due to high fuel and fertilizer costs.

Besides, the yield and quality of crops that would be harvested after Gustav is also expected to decline considerably, in turn, lowering the incomes and prices to farmers.

Federal Government has been moved for providing aid to farmers hit by Gustav but the agriculture commissioner has not quoted any specific amount for assistance.

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