Maritime farmers are starting to call this summer’s lack of rain “disastrous”, reports Jonathan MacInnis for CTV News.
Famous for its potatoes, Prince Edward Island produces over a million kilograms of spuds every year, but this year is different. Over the last three months, some areas of P.E.I. have only received 15 per cent of its usual rainfall. Estimates suggest the harvest will be down 25 per cent — at a minimum.
“Put that in perspective,” said Greg Donald, the general manager of the P.E.I. Potato Board. “For all the potato farmers in P.E.I., that would be more than a $50 million dollar loss.” But there’s not much they can do to save their season.
Agricultural irrigation was outlawed on Prince Edward Island in 2002. It
