A Resilient Industry
In recent years, despite
the challenges of ever increasing cost of pig feed, competition from imports, and relatively low returns to farmers, Jamaica’s pig industry continues to show its resilience by meeting the demands of the marketplace, especially that of jerk vendors, hotel, restaurant, and the supermarket segments where there has been a noticeable increase in the space allocated to various cuts of pork meat.Responding to the Covid19 Challenge Unfortunately, like other agricultural subsectors in Jamaica, with the onset of the Covid19 situation, the pig industry has been crippled. Pig farmers and pork processors are experiencing significant reduction in off-take by hotels, supermarket, and jerk vendors. Just like the overall Jamaican economy, it is now critical that the local pig/ pork industry experience some encouraging degree of stability, continued investment by economic operators, and growth in consumption.
In responding to this situation, and to bring some relief to pig farmers, the Jamaica Pig Farmers Association (JPFA), HiPro Ltd, and Ministry of Agriculture have collaborated to distribute animal feed to those with the greatest need.
Relatively Low Per Capita Consumption
There is, however, an underlying challenge that the industry faces. While the Observer Newspaper and industry operatives have designated October as ‘Pork Month’ in Jamaica, and within this context, there is much promotion and imbibing of ‘the great white meat’, the reality is that the per capita consumption of pork in Jamaica is extremely low.Industry observers argue that this low level of consumption is, one of the significant factors curtailing the growth of the local pig industry. The average Jamaican consumes 3.7 kg of pork per annum. In the case of our major trading partners USA and Canada, the level is above 20 kg per capita. Our Caribbean neighbours Trinidad and Barbados also have per capita consumption levels that are twice that of Jamaica’s.
Pork builds the Human Immune System. The fact is that apart from the tastiness and versatility of the meat, not many Jamaican know of the nutritional contribution that pork can make to improving their health and well-being.
Cursory enquiry has revealed that the average Jamaican consumer is unaware of the fact that pork is a rich source of zinc, thiamine, selenium, and Vitamin B12. These are essential minerals and vitamin cited in many medical journals as crucial to brain health and bolstering of the body’s immune system.
Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that daily consumption of pork meat, can be of tremendous help in optimize the body’s immune system to fight against Covid19 infections. Pork, while currently at a higher price when compared to chicken, is without a shadow of a doubt, the healthy choice meat, giving the average consumer real value for his/her dollar.
Growing Consumption & Building Immunity
The JPFA is thus firm in its perspective that the Jamaican consumer should be made aware of this fact. The Association will therefore be launching a year-long generic promotion campaign to highlight this positive attribute of pork meat. The campaign will seek to encourage the average Jamaican, to consume daily, more of this ‘healthier choice’ meat in its various forms i.e. sausages, chops, loins, stew, and the popular jerk pork.
Market Stabilization, Farmer Registration
There is another challenge that has been for some time impacting on the performance of the industry. That is maintaining pig production at levels that would not give rise to protracted gluts and shortages in the supply of pork, and the farmer facing wide farmgate price fluctuations over the short to medium term.One consequence of the Covid19 experience is that many persons in rural communities, in a bid to supplement their income, have entered the industry on a small scale. They are not registered pig farmers. It is this scenario that gives rise in the future to the protracted glut situation. Accordingly, based on consultations with the Ministry of Agriculture, the GOJ in the second quarter of 2020, provided the JPFA with J$1million to ensure that current, and new entrant pig farmers, are registered with the Association.
A Digital Production Early Warning System
A year before the onset of COVID 19, the JPFA had commissioned a Position Paper on the status of the pig/ pork industry and interventions needed to ensure more stability and growth. This paper proposed that a digital system be put in place to inform pig farmers, and other industry operators, as to the status of pig production at the district, parish, and national levels.By having access to such information, pig farmers and input suppliers would be in a much better position to invest and make business decisions. Import regulatory agencies would also see their decision-making apparatus enhanced. All would, in turn, take actions which (if done rationally) at the aggregate level, can result in a more stable pork supply chain for all concerned.
Between the last quarter of 2019, and the first quarter of 2020, island-wide consultations were held with pig farmers and industry stakeholders (including the Ministry of Agriculture), culminating in their refining and endorsing of the proposed initiative that would start with the execution of a 1-yr pilot project.
The pilot project would set the stage for the introduction of a fully digital Pig Production Early Warning System (PPEWS). JPFA’s Agribusiness Consultant, Robert Reid, is overseeing the implementation of the project to collect, collate, analyse, and relay pig production information to industry stakeholders every three months. RADA’s Livestock Division is collaborating with the Association to undertake field activities at the parish level. The current campaign to register pig farmers is a prerequisite for the collection of pig production information.
The PPEWS is to be funded by contributions from the JPFA and key industry players. After evaluation of the outputs, outcome, and impact of the pilot project at the end of 2021, the plan is to scale up to full digital mode, with pig farmers and other operatives inputting and receiving production related information via a web application.
Source: The Daily Jamaica Observer, Thursday, October 8, 2020