John Myers Jr., Agriculture Coordinator
( L - R ) AMIEL and LEVY
THE ISLAND'S poultry industry is now experiencing a slump as chicken consumption has dropped at a time when poultry meat production is at its highest levels. Poultry stakeholders have blamed the fall-off in consumption on the downturn in the economy.
The island's two largest commercial poultry producers, Jamaica Broilers - producers of the 'Best Dressed Chicken', and Caribbean Broilers - producers of 'CB Chicken', are reporting twice than normal the amount of processed chicken in storage.
At the end of last year poultry production peaked at over 100 million kilograms. The poultry industry is estimated to generate some $13 billion in sales annually.
Robert Levy, president and chief executive officer of Jamaica Broilers, told Farmers Weekly his company currently had just over two million pounds of chicken in storage - twice the usual amount. "Recently, we just see that consumption has kind of flattened off. Right now we have quite a bit of inventory, so that obviously has an impact on the business," he said in an interview on Monday.
"I think two things thave really affected it (consumption); one is obviously what has happened in the construction industry because of the cement crisis; and I do think that what has been happening with (Operation) Kingfish has had an impact on the underground economy, so that has certainly slowed things down," Levy explained.
CONSTRUCTION DISRUPTION
Dr. Keith Amiel, manager of corporate affairs at Caribbean Broilers, said his company currently had more than one million pounds of chicken in storage. Dr. Amiel, who is also the president of the Caribbean Agri Business Association, said the situation is the same for small poultry farmers across the island. Dr. Amiel, like Mr. Levy, attributed the decline in consumption on the recent disruption in the construction industry. "There is a domino effect where the downturn in the construction industry has negatively impacted on chicken (consumption)," he explained. He said the disruptions in the bauxite industry and the work of Operation Kingfish - the police's organised crime-fighting unit - had also impacted on consumption as forces in the underground economy come under pressure.
Both men expect consumption to rebound by August, when it is expected that the construction industry will return to normal.
Poultry production
Annual local production figures for the poultry industry over the past five years:
2001: 82.3 million kilos
2002: 83.2 million kilos
2003: 91.6 million kilos
2004: 97 million kilos
2005: 105 million kilos, projected to January 6, 2006
