Food crops ruined by cyclone

PORT VILA – A Vanuatu agriculture expert said the damage to staple food crops from Cyclone Pam throughout much of the country was very serious.

Vincent Lebot from the French research centre CIRAD in Port Vila said Pam’s path covered a broad arc across many of Vanuatu’s most populated islands, going through Torres and Banks, and then south past Maewo and Pentecost, before whipping through the Shepard islands and passing Erromango and Tanna.

“Most of these islands had plantations and food gardens and crops and they are very severely impacted.”

Dr Lebot said people on these islands live on their food gardens, crops like fruit and nut trees, or root crops.

He said two days after the cyclone left the country, it was becoming evident that there was little to eat.

“The bananas are on the ground and the root crops which are the staples are all gone. I mean, the cassava will go first of all and the yams were not ready yet so there is nothing to harvest. Only the taros are left,” Dr Lebot said.