Antigua and Barbuda is considering a proposal to construct an abbatoir capable of butchering a minimum of 14, 000 chickens daily as the island seeks to improve the production of poultry meat given that it spends millions of dollars (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) annually in importing meat products.
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According to a statement issued following the weekly Cabinet meeting, while Antigua and Barbuda is efficient in producing eggs to meet domestic demand, however, the production of meat by way of broilers continues to lag.
The statement said that Cabinet welcomed five officials from the Ministry of Agriculture whose expertise on the production of poultry and poultry products is widely acknowledged and that one of the experts is a London-based consultant who has been in Antigua for two weeks.
The consultant has made several proposals for increasing the production of meats, the statement said, noting that the “need for achieving food security requires Antigua and Barbuda to improve the production of poultry meat since the country currently imports $16 million worth per year”.
But it said that in order to achieve self-sufficiency, the producers would have to butcher 150 thousand chickens per month.
“It was proposed to Cabinet that an abbatoir capable of butchering a minimum of 14 thousand chickens daily could be installed in Antigua in seven to 10 months. The government is committed to building a new abbatoir that will slaughter many more chickens and an adjacent slaughterhouse to replace the current building which sometimes floods and is inadequate.”
The statement said Cabinet is encouraging small farmers to plan for expansion including the number of hatcheries that can utilise the number of available chicks for the growers.
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My word, you telling me that in 2022 Antigua hasn’t got an abbatoir capable of producing our own meat and poultry – I DIDN’T KNOW THIS!
It seems that our government are so focussed on the SERVITUDE of the hospitality sector, to the detriment of other worthwhile money earning sectors, including the EVOLVING blue economy.
I’m so disappointed in the ABLP, they seem a more reactive government than a proactive one … THEY DON’T SEEM CAPABLE OF THINKING OUTSIDE THE ‘FINANCIAL’ BOX – ABSOLUTELY USELESS!!!
Why should the government have an abattoir? The meat industry makes money. Why can’t local investors do it? There is enough money in the private sector. How is this the governments responsibility?
Because they should have encouraged more private enterprise for our citizens in all aspects of business instead of just mainly the hospitality sector.
That was my point @ Gov …
Hello, sorry there was a misunderstanding. The value of poultry imports was around XCD $45 million per year, much closer to $60 million than $16 reported here (2019 figures). Total meats imported was around XCD $75 million/yr, of which poultry accounted for nearly 60%.
There is ample room for all sectors of the economy to invest in meat and especially poultry production to increase self-sufficiency and food security, particularly during these difficult times.
We will include this as a note in the story.
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