(JAMAICA OBSERVER)
In a Twitter posting just hours ago, the Ministry of Industry Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries announced that it was putting on hold the importation of chicken into the island.
“We have put on hold the importation of chicken meat… for now,” the tweet said.
Minister with portfolio responsibility Audley Shaw was then quoted.
“We are doing this against the background of COVID-19, and the surplus in the country now, the priority is to consume what is produced locally,” Shaw said.
Checks by OBSERVER ONLINE revealed that there are approximately eight million kilogrammes of chicken currently in storage across the island.
One close analyst of the chicken industry told OBSERVER ONLINE that of the amount of eight million kilogrammes, approximately 30-35 per cent or approximately 2.4 million kilogrammes are in storage by small farmers.
“What you have to understand is that these small farmers in normal times, are the ones who supply schools, restaurants, cook shops and the jerk or pan chicken people with chicken especially in the rural parts of Jamaica.
“Now with these enterprises effectively closed because of COVID-19, a large stockpile of chicken is now on the market and already we have seen where some amount of dumping is taking place.
“The Government has taken the right decision,” the analyst said while pointing out that these small farmers have no direct links with the major chicken producers (Jamaica Broilers, Caribbean Broilers) apart from purchasing baby chickens and feed.
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