KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining says it is closely monitoring egg supply and overall market conditions following the disruption caused by Hurricane Melissa.

The ministry’s comments follow concerns raised by the President of the Jamaica Egg Farmers Association (JEFA), Mark Campbell, who noted that continued egg importation, initially approved in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, is now threatening the recovery of local producers who have been steadily rebuilding.

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But the ministry, in a media release on Monday, emphasised that the livelihood and economic viability of egg farmers are paramount in its consideration regarding egg importation, and as such, the measure is continuously monitored to ensure that Jamaican egg farmers and consumers are not placed at a disadvantage within the market.

“At the time Hurricane Melissa affected the sector, the egg industry was still recovering from the impact of Hurricane Beryl in 2024. Following Hurricane Beryl, the Jamaica Egg Farmers Association indicated that production was expected to normalise within approximately six months. However, supply did not return to pre-Hurricane Beryl levels, resulting in some hotels being unable to access their regular allocations and supermarkets implementing purchase limits,” the ministry said.

It further noted that Hurricane Melissa significantly compounded these challenges when it struck on October 28, 2025, with reported losses of approximately 400,000 laying hens, substantially reducing national egg output.

The ministry said its post-Melissa market assessments indicated that domestic egg supply would decline by approximately 40 per cent, with an estimated recovery period of eight to 12 months.

Additionally, the ministry said production data confirm that output for the first half of 2026 is projected to be 30-40 per cent below the last five years’ average production levels.

“Although production continues to improve month by month, projections indicate that monthly output is not expected to surpass 2025 levels until August 2026, when clearer year-over-year gains are anticipated,” the agriculture ministry said.

“It is important to note that in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, JEFA revised its recommended prices from $550 to $670 per dozen for unbranded eggs and from $580 to $700 per dozen for branded eggs, representing increases of approximately 21.8 per cent and 20.7 per cent, respectively. The association attributed these adjustments to reduced production levels, as well as increased logistics and refrigeration costs,” it further said.

In response to this, the ministry said it approved limited egg imports as a temporary measure to ease supply constraints until local production normalises and to provide relief to consumers in relation to prices.

“To this end, a waiver was sought on import duty, additional stamp duty and GCT (general consumption tax) for imported eggs. This request, approved by the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, was scheduled to come to an end on February 28, 2026. However, based on current production data and recovery projections, an extension of the waiver is being sought until the end of May 2026 in the first instance to ensure full market recovery and price stability. This targeted and time-bound intervention has helped and will continue to moderate prices while domestic production capacity is being restored,” the ministry said.