Fried, curried, stewed and even steamed, Trinidadians like other Caribbean nationals are big chicken consumers.

According to the latest data released by the Poultry Association of Trinidad and Tobago (PATT) on average  Trinis consume about 1,000,000 chickens per week and in a year it is estimated that the nation eats 52 million chickens.

The PATT shared the data at a virtual meeting last week, in which the  association sought greater protection from the government against foreign competition.

A big ticket item on the agenda was the import of foreign chicken meat with the association lobbying the government to implement policies that help bolster the local industry.

PATT highlighted the importance of the poultry industry to the domestic food sector and encouraged the government to work alongside industry stakeholders to support their growth and fair treatment.

While the T&T government introduced a surcharge on imported products in 2013, PATT members say more could be done to help grow the sector, as the country remains a net importer of poultry and poultry products.

According to data released by PATT, on average annual imports of poultry products from 2016 to 2020 was valued at TT$112 million.