Caribbean hot sauce producers warn of shortages and higher prices

A critical shortage of Scotch bonnet peppers, driven by extreme weather and disease, is forcing Caribbean hot sauce producers to cancel orders and absorb steep price increases, threatening a staple export industry [1]. The shortage stems from a confluence of hurricanes and adverse weather patterns that have devastated crops across the region [1]. Last October's Hurricane Melissa, the strongest in Jamaica's history, walloped the island's agricultural sector while it was still recovering from Hurricane Beryl the year before [1]. "We were hugely limited, and we did have to cancel orders," said Sean Garbutt of Associated Manufacturers, which makes Jamaica's popular Walkerswood sauces [1]. Walkerswood exports more than 95% of its products, with two-thirds going to the US [1]. The scarcity has caused Scotch bonnet prices to rise by about 40-50% over the last two years, with a 10-fold spike immediately after Hurricane Melissa [1]. Drew Gray of Gray's Pepper, one of Jamaica's largest buyers, stated, "Climate change is affecting the Caribbean the hardest" [1]. Producers are mitigating the impact by stockpiling inventory, with Homebrew Hot Sauce in Antigua having close to 600lbs [272kg] in storage when the hurricane hit [1]. However, maintaining supply to major international retailers remains a pressure. "At the end of the day, the big chain stores don't care if you have a hurricane, they just want the product," Garbutt added [1]. The Jamaican government has supplied Scotch bonnet seeds to 650 growers to aid recovery [1]. The region's environment faces major threats from climate change, which can exacerbate such agricultural disruptions [2].