AGRICULTURE

HURRICANES BATTERED FLORIDA AGRICULTURE IN 2005

ORLANDO, Fla. – Hurricanes made 2005 one of the worst years in recent memory for agriculture in Florida, which supplies more than half of the nation’s fresh vegetables between November and February.

The four storms that struck or brushed the state not only caused an estimated $2.2 billion in damage to the state’s crops and farming infrastructure, but they are believed to have spread dreaded citrus diseases that threaten the state’s signature citrus crops.

“Nobody has seen this level of devastation for about 16 years,” said Tim Nance, director of operations in the eastern United States for Gargiulo, one of the nation’s largest growers of tomatoes.

The four hurricanes caused estimated damages of $1.1 billion to the state’s nursery and foliage industry, $370 million to the sugar sector, $180 million to citrus, and $44.1 million to tropical fruit, according to the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association.

– Associated Press

TAXES

CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER DEFENDS AGAINST LEAK ABOUT TAXES

The prime minister of Canada, Paul Martin, whose government is being investigated by police for a possible tax policy leak, said he’s confident his staff didn’t divulge the plans to investors. “I can tell you right now, I’m very confident that my office have lived up to their oath” of confidentiality, Mr. Martin said in an interview yesterday. “This is an opposition allegation made during an election campaign.”

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said last week it has started a criminal investigation into whether a tax policy was leaked to investors ahead of a November 23 announcement. Shares in stocks such as BCE Incorporated, which benefited from a dividend tax cut, soared in the final two hours of trading that day.

– Bloomberg News

HOLLYWOOD

‘NARNIA’ BUMPS ‘KONG’ FROM TOP SLOT AT BOX OFFICE

“King Kong” fell from the top spot in American and Canadian theaters as Walt Disney Company’s “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” led the box office over the New Year’s holiday.

“Narnia,” based on the book by C.S. Lewis, took in $32.8 million from December 30 through yesterday, compared with $31.6 million for “Kong,” from Universal Pictures, box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations Company said yesterday in a statement. The weekend’s ticket sales brought the total for “King Kong” to $174.3 million. The film, directed by Peter Jackson of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, cost an estimated $207 million.

– Bloomberg News