Agriculture Minister Floyd Green: “No Permits for Imported Eggs”

Ministry of Agriculture has announced that no permits will be issued for the importation of table eggs despite a continuing shortage, Minister of Agriculture Floyd Green declared at a food security forum on Tuesday. The decision was unveiled at the “Championing Secure Food Production” forum hosted by the Jamaica Broilers Group Limited, where Green outlined plans to manage the shortfall as the sector continues its slow recovery following Hurricane Beryl last July.

Green explained that domestic production has been under strain, noting that the country’s egg supply currently stands at about 650,000 eggs per day—significantly below the pre-COVID level of approximately 900,000 eggs daily. “We have not had to import table eggs for years. And we have no plan to do so,” the Minister stated, emphasizing the government’s commitment to self-reliance in food production. He attributed part of the current shortage to the loss of around 43,000 laying hens during Hurricane Beryl, with the remaining birds suffering considerable trauma and failing to regain their previous levels of production, further compounded by a period of relentless rainfall.

Despite these setbacks, recent figures show a promising upward trend in egg production, which increased from 166 million eggs in 2019 to 255 million in 2023. The forecast for this year predicts the production of about 95 million eggs between January and July. “It’s a reduction, but we plan to manage it in such a way that our consumers will have access to their table eggs. These challenges are not just Jamaican challenges – they are worldwide challenges,” Green remarked, highlighting collaborative efforts with local bakeries and hotels to ensure that consumers continue to receive a steady supply of eggs.

Amid reports of a concurrent egg shortage in the United States—exacerbated by a bird flu outbreak that has impacted 110 million birds in key egg-producing states—the Ministry is taking proactive measures. The Veterinary Services Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining will host a sensitisation session on bird flu on March 21. Newly appointed Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Sophia Ramlal underscored the importance of the session, especially since small farmers account for 30 per cent of broiler production. “We will have all the stakeholder agencies because a lot of what is being said about HPAI is on social media. We want to be in front of the narrative,” Dr. Ramlal said.

Looking ahead, Minister Green stressed the need to diversify sources of hatching eggs to mitigate future risks. “Sometimes we’ve been slow in exploring alternative sources for things like hatching eggs. Now is the time to accelerate our work around that. If we work together as the public and private sectors, we can speed up those processes and ensure that when challenges arise in our main market, we can pivot to other markets,” he explained.

Jamaica Broilers, the nation’s largest poultry producer with its Best Dressed Chicken brand, remains a key player in the industry. The company’s hatchery operations in White Marl and Cumberland supply both contract and independent farmers with day-old broiler chicks, while its International Poultry Breeders operations—based locally in St Ann and overseas in the United States—continue to provide a significant portion of the fertile eggs used in Jamaica, accounting for 40 per cent of the supply, according to Senior Vice-President Ian Parsard.

As the government and industry leaders collaborate to tackle these challenges, the focus remains on ensuring food security and a resilient domestic supply chain in the face of global market pressures and natural disasters.