Grenada nutmeg farmers to receive rare bonus
ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (AP) — Nutmeg farmers on the eastern Caribbean island of Grenada are receiving a year-end bonus for the first time in five years.
The general manager of the Grenada Co-operative Nutmeg Association says 2,485 growers will share the bonus of more than US$270,000 as the result of a stable market, high prices and a steady increase in production after devastating hurricanes in 2004 and 2005.
That is an average of nearly US$110 a grower, a welcome sum on an island where male farm workers earn roughly US$1.85 an hour. However, individual payouts will vary among the mix of small, medium and big farms.
Association manager Marlon Clyne said yesterday that Grenada’s production is still far below pre-hurricane levels of more than 2,500 metric tons (2,750 tons) a year. It’s currently producing about 350 metric tons (385 tons) of nutmeg a year.
