Though people have been buying up groceries at almost apocalyptic rates, mountains of unsold vegetables in Florida – squash, zucchini, tomatoes – were left to rot due to restaurant closures.
“Thousands of acres of fruits and vegetables grown in Florida are being plowed over or left to rot because farmers can’t sell to restaurants, theme parks or schools nationwide that have closed because of the coronavirus,” reports The Associated Press. “Other states are having the same issues — agriculture officials say leafy greens in California are being hit especially hard, and dairy farmers in Vermont and Wisconsin say they have had to dump a surplus of milk intended for restaurants.”
The high supply and low demand has created a price drop as well. At a packing plant in Florida, 25-pound boxes of Roma tomatoes are now going for just $5 apiece. Tony DiMare, tomato grower, said the situation is a catastrophe and predicted losses in the millions.
“This is a catastrophe,” said DiMare. “We haven’t even started to calculate it. It’s going to be in the millions of dollars. Losses mount every day.”
Though farmers have tried donating the surplus vegetables to food banks, the charities are only able to take in so much at a single time, leaving many already full. Selling that same produce to grocery stores is an equally difficult task, given that farms have already been contracted. As much as 80% of tomatoes grown in Florida are sold to restaurants and theme parks. – READ MORE
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