How excess Jamaican production, imports of Eggs, Pork and Chicken in 2016 threaten 2017

There may not be a Pork, Egg or Chicken Shortage this year.

So says the President of the Jamaica Pig Farmers' Association, Hanif Brown who says there will be more than enough excess supply to meet demand as noted in the article “Egg, Meat Suppliers Ready For Christmas Rush”, published Sunday November 13, 2016 by Tameka Gordon, The Jamaica Gleaner.

He claims this boost in production began in 2015, when pig farmers had begun ramping up production as chronicled in my blog article entitled “Jamaican Pig Farmers, Meat Processors and Why Possible Pork Price Profits this Christmas 2015”. 

In fact, the possibility of a glut in pork looms, as they’re had to warn farmers not to overproduce pork, to quote Hanif Brown: “We are very much in high supply even to the point where we have to be cautioning farmers to make sure they don't over supply. Based on the feedback from processors, they are getting more pigs than they need. All I can ask is that consumers eat more pork”.

But what about chicken?

Chicken shortage in 2016 – Oversupply in 2016 coming

Good to note that there was a shortage of Chicken in the Christmas of 2015 as noted in my blog article entitled “How Caribbean Broilers Group figures reveal Jamaica experiencing Chicken Shortage in Christmas 2015”.

  

This was ended when the Ministry of Agriculture lifted the ban on the importation of chicken form the USA and Canada as noted in my blog article entitled “How Min. of Agriculture Chicken Importation, Jamaica Broilers and Caribbean Broilers production to ease 2016 Chicken Shortage”. 

Agriculturalist and representative of the pool of poultry farmers contracted to Jamaica Broilers Group Downie Walker supported this claim, pointing out that there is enough poultry from local producers to meet demand, quote: “There will be no need to import any pork. Chicken and eggs will also be in adequate supply”.

In essence, the chicken shortage of 2015 may very well come to an end in 2016 as predicted in my blog article entitled “Why the Jamaican Chicken Shortage of 2015 might be ending in 2016”. 

This when compare to the year 2012, as 2016 is expected to be a huge year for eggs as well:

1.      170 million eggs delivered in 2012

2.      167 million eggs delivered in 2016

But will there be a glut in production and thus a drop in prices?

Eggs, Pork and Chicken - Glut in 2016 threaten Industries in 2017

I think there will be this trip.

For one, albeit more eggs are being produced to meet demand for the Christmas period, Jamaicans are generally eating fewer eggs.

 

Even the 'Get Cracking' and 'Eat Eggs' campaigns, a partnership between the JEFA, Hi-Pro and the United States Soybean Export Council to give prize money to Jamaican to eat more eggs has failed to garner more interest as noted in my MICO Wars blog article entitled “How to determine if Eggs are Fresh and How to make them last longer”. 

And albeit pork is no popular with patties thanks to Copperwood Pork partnership with Mother's enterprises to introduce the Pork Patties as noted in my MICO Wars blog article entitled “Why Mother’s Pork Patty a hit in 2016 as Pork is now Popular”, generally Jamaican aren't a pork-loving nation.

To make matters worse, some meat sellers are already selling imported pork, exposing Jamaican to potentially deadly Antibiotic Resistant Superbacteria as predicted in my blog article entitled “How US Pork Imports will cause JA$73.4 billion jobs lost and Antibiotic Resistant Superbacteria due to Jamaican Pork Shortage”. 

So this Christmas not only are we facing a glut in Eggs but also Chicken and Pork due to increase illegal importation, threatening these local industries long term survival in 2017.