THE Jamaica Egg Farmers Association (JEFA) has secured a $15-million loan to assist in the establishment of a liquid egg processing plant at Freeport in Montego Bay, St James.

Roger Clarke, the minister of agriculture and lands, said the loan to the association was procured through the Agriculture Credit Board and received approval from Cabinet.

“Given the requirements of international food safety standards, hotel operators have been demanding pasteurised, liquid eggs, as the heating process ensures that the eggs are safe from food-borne diseases,” Clarke said at the presentation of the cheque to the egg farmers at the agriculture ministry in Kingston.

The minister said that the hospitality industry has had to import liquid eggs at prohibitively high prices, which was impacting on local egg farmers. Egg farmers, he added, produced 157 million eggs last year, however the seasonal demand led to excess inventory resulting in waste.

“It will not only assist the hotel sector to meet international food safety requirements, but it will also serve to absorb the excess production,” said Clarke of the liquid egg processing plant.

In the meantime, the government will “People who seek permits to import liquid eggs will now receive a deaf ear, he added.

According to Clarke, a survey conducted by the ministry’s support services indicated that 75 five per cent of the commercial establishments that were currently importing liquid eggs, including bakeries and high-end restaurants, were in favour of using the product based on convenience and increased shelf life.

He said to date Jamaica, is the only Caribbean territory, that is establishing a facility to produce pasteurised liquid eggs.

In the meantime, Mark Campbell president of JEFA told the Observer that the processing capacity of the plant was now about 18,000 eggs per day.

“We are not 100 per cent. We are doing test runs now and a launch date will be announced soon,” Campbell said.