November 3 (JIS): Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, says egg farmers must seek to craft a strategic marketing campaign to heighten public awareness about the value of consuming their product. “We must let [our people] know how important eggs are to the daily diet. In fact, they are probably the best low-cost source of protein, minerals, and vitamins. As such, we must get our population to know this,” he said. Mr. Green commended the farmers “on the wonderful job you have been doing regarding the increased production in our egg supply”. “We must, however, come together and strategically [embark] on a marketing campaign to get our people to consume more eggs. This is important now more than ever, as when you think of all the challenges we have had [with climate crisis and other issues], we have to pay attention to our health and also food consumption. We must work together to get our population to eat more eggs,” the Minister maintained. In this regard, Mr. Green assured that the Ministry is prepared to support such an undertaking, and expressed optimism that this would go a far way in boosting egg consumption. He was speaking during the Egg Farmers Association meeting at the Almond Tree Restaurant in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, on Wednesday (November 1). Meanwhile, Mr. Green said Jamaica has become so successful and self-sufficient in the production of table eggs that there has been no need for the product’s importation since 2007. He noted that even with the COVID-19 pandemic’s onset, farmers remained steadfast, prevailing against seemingly insurmountable odds to the point where there was a 39.4 per cent increase in egg production. “Despite market fluctuations during the pandemic… which saw egg farmers losing out on [the] hotel market… a usually reliable source market… a lot of positives emerged, and for this we are all grateful as a nation,” the Minister stated. Mr. Green, however, cautioned against the possibility of a glut in the market, consequent on increased egg production and limited consumption. Hence, his underscoring the need for a collaborative stakeholder approach to increase the extent to which eggs are consumed.

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