Haitian farmers fear rice paddies might be infected with the cholera bacteria and refuse to work the fields, risking the loss of the rice harvest, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) warned Wednesday.
A U.N. news release states that many farmers fear the water used for the irrigation of the rice paddies might be infected with the cholera bacteria, and as a consequence avoid the harvest.
Besides the fear of infection preventing the harvesting of the rice, the release states that consumers avoid food that is produced in cholera-affected regions.
The FOA, in cooperation with authorities and other agencies in the health sector, has tried to inform Haitians about precautionary measures that should minimize the chance of infection. The agency is concerned its information needs a different channel that can reach rural low-income communities. It needs to be through “outreach initiatives,” the agency states.
Since October, the outbreak of a cholera epidemic in Haiti has taken 2,700 lives and infected 130,000 others. The agency did not discuss the range of potential losses to the harvest in Haiti.
