<p>Winds from Hurricane Isaac have damaged between five and ten percent of banana and coconut plantations in the Dominican Republic, according to the Dominican Republic Live. Santa Cruz Banana Association President, Luis Bonilla, The areas of Vicente Noble, Tamayo, Barahona, Baboruco, and Mao were among the worst areas hit, according to government officials and farmers in the region.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">President of the Santa Cruz Banana Association, Luis Bonilla, tells the publication that 35,000 out of the 350,000 plots of bananas have been impacted by the winds. Mr. Bonilla was quoted as saying that even though there was damage, the damage isn’t alarming because it didn’t wipe out whole farms. San Juan Valley Sustainable Agricultural Growers’ Association Secretary General, Jose Luis Gonzalez, adds that while there were no significant damages in the San Juan region, farms in Azua and Barahona suffered damage.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The government has announced it will provide assistance to affected growers, including a Black Sigatoka prevention plan to keep the fungus at bay during this period of increased moisture.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.dominican-republic-live.com/dominican-republic/news/year-2012/august-2012/hurricane-isaac-damaged-10percent-of-banana-and-coconut-plantations.html" target="_new"> Dominican Republic Live</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
