CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) — President of the National Consumers Association, Kingsley St Hill, has accused importers of dumping local chicken.

St Hill believes this is being done to facilitate the importation chicken from overseas that is then sold at a lower price.

In an interview on local radio on Saturday, the NCA president said importers buy local chicken at a higher price than it costs to import from overseas and sell it quickly at a lower price, to fulfil the government-mandated requirement that a designated percentage of all poultry purchases must be from local sources.

He however asserted that local chicken is better and healthier.

He spoke against the backdrop of a shortage of local chicken, which has been blamed in part on a sudden spike in demand linked to an increase in visitor arrivals and a resulting surge in orders from restaurants and hotels.

The Government last week announced that it had joined other Caricom member states in banning poultry products from certain parts of the United States experiencing an outbreak of avian flu.

Local importers have pointed to the current shortage, arguing that a request for an increase in their market quota locally is not justified, as the suppliers are unable to keep pace with the demand.

The suppliers, on the other hand, have said that the current shortage is temporary, bearing in mind that a few months ago they were forced to keep huge quantities of chicken on ice due to a market glut.