Caribbean hot sauce producers warn of shortages and higher prices

Caribbean hot sauce producers warn of shortages and higher pricesJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleGemma HandyBusiness reporter, St John’s, AntiguaWalkerswoodHot sauce producers in Jamaica are struggling with a shortage of key chilli peppersHot pepper sauce in Caribbean cuisine is as pervasive as ketchup in the US.The fiery flavouring is a staple of dining tables regionwide, the obligatory accompaniment for everything from rice and peas, to curries and stews.And as international palates continue to heat up to the potent taste, a growing number of brands are exported to North America, Europe and Australia, appearing on the shelves of major supermarket chains, from the US's Walmart, to the UK's Tesco, and Woolworths in Australia.But a shortage of the particular chilli pepper used to create the quintessential Caribbean condiment is threatening to stifle supply, while sending costs for the region's producers soaring.How do hurricanes and typhoons form and is climate change making them stronger?The fight against foreign developers buying Caribbean beachesA confluence of extreme weather, disease and pests is making core ingredient Scotch bonnet peppers particularly hard to source, manufacturers tell the BBC.The temperamental little, yellow fruit with its susceptibility to heavy rain and viruses can be tough to grow, while devastating hurricanes in Jamaica, a prime producer of Scotch bonnets, delivered a further blow.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."We were hugely limited, and we did have to cancel orders," says Sean Garbutt, of Associated Manufacturers, which makes Jamaica's popular Walkerswood sauces and seasonings.AFP via Getty ImagesJamaica's famous Scotch bonnet peppers pack a punchWalkerswood exports more than 95% of its products – two-thirds of it to the US. La...