Gustav Damages to Louisiana Crops, Fisheries Hits $419M

Hurricane Gustav caused an estimated $372 million in damage to Louisiana crops, agriculture officials said. The storm overflowed crawfish and catfish ponds, causing an estimated $46 million in damages to fisheries.

Gustav wreaked even wider damage on Louisiana’s farmbelt industries than powerful Katrina did in 2005, because Gustav traveled far into central and north Louisiana after making landfall with 110-mph winds a week ago.

“Almost every parish, every crop is affected,” Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain said.

Strain said agricultural losses were expected to rise further — even without counting damage to fences, sheds and equipment. Among hardest hit crops were cotton, sweet potatoes, soybeans and sugar cane. More than 47 percent of Louisiana’s cotton crop is estimated to be lost, a $112 million hit to what was expected to be a $237 million crop before Gustav.

Nearly 41 percent of the sweet potato crop was wiped out, for an estimated $27 million loss.

Of the state’s largest agriculture industries, more than 12 percent of the sugar cane crop was estimated to be lost, or about $73 million of the $583 million harvest estimated before the storm.

Nearly 15 percent of soybeans and 11 percent of the corn crop also were expected to be lost. Fisheries and aquaculture damage was expected high for the alligator, shrimp, crab and oyster industries. A nearly $22 million loss — or 15 percent hit — buffeted the shrimp industry, and a $5 million loss — nearly 17 percent — struck oyster fishermen, according to preliminary estimates.

Topics Louisiana Agribusiness