Last weekend I pointed out that Fiji was about to take a direct hit from strong tropical cyclone Winston. NOAA’s Climate blog has a post-storm analysis of Winston at https://www.climate.gov/news-features/event-tracker/tropical-cyclone-winston-causes-devastation-fiji-tropical-paradise.
According to Investment Fiji, “Agriculture (is) the mainstay of Fiji’s economy, and contributes around 28% to total employment in the formal sector, indirectly employing many more. This sector which was once a major stronghold of Fiji’s economy is the third largest now, contributing $451 million (9%) annually to the nations GDP. Sugarcane which used to dominate the sector now only contributes (0.9%) and has been surpassed by other crops, horticulture, and livestock production and subsistence sector.”
Reuters reported “The Fijian agriculture ministry told local media the cyclone has completely destroyed crops across the island, while charity Save The Children said scores of schools have been destroyed or badly damaged. Thousands of Fijians live, learn and work in tin or wooden shacks in low-lying coastal areas.” Other reports indicated that coconuts and fruits had been stripped from the trees, crops had been uprooted, and salt water had impacted many low-lying areas. PINA.com also reported that all root crops and vegetables had been destroyed.
