Spurred by the continued spike in worldwide fertilizer and grain prices, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has been meeting with its key stakeholders, including poultry producers and input providers over the last three (3) weeks to explore strategies to mitigate these price increases.

This comes amidst the global economic slowdown due to COVID-19, which has led to cuts in production and rising demand, that has resulted in sharp increases to input and shipping costs. Fertilizer inputs such as Urea and Potash have risen by 80% and 67%,respectively, while world feed prices have seen an over 40% increase.

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Floyd Green, convened the latest in a series of virtual meetings with local poultry processors on Tuesday, September 7 where the producers were asked to ramp up the production of baby chicks to help in meeting the demands of the market.

“Baby chick production is already up by 16% over last year, but we still see challenges in meeting the demand as people move from other professions into chicken rearing. I have asked both Jamaica Broilers and Caribbean Broilers to ramp up their production to meet this new demand. This will position more local farmers to be able to increase their poultry production and meet the demands of the market affordably,” the Minister stated.

Additionally, the Minister urged the poultry providers to explore further cost containment measures and to re-examine substitutes for high priced grain.

The Ministry has also had a series of meetings with Newport Fersan; the country’s only fertilizer manufacturer. The Minister expressed grave concern at the impact that the recent rise in fertilizer cost is having on the agriculture sector. Coming out of the meeting, the company is aiming to bring three new fertilizer blends to the market, utilizing less expensive but equally effective ingredients.

The discussions have extended to the United Nation’s agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), where the Ministry has requested technical assistance in exploring cost-effective local-based feed ingredients.

Green added that, “The Ministry continues to monitor the worldwide situation and is exploring appropriate methods of direct intervention to bring down fertilizer costs in the shortest time, as worldwide prices stabilize.”

The Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries will address Parliament on Wednesday, September 15, 2021 to outline some direct interventions in light of the prevailing conditions and the additional challenges brought on by Tropical Storms Grace and Ida.

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