POULTRY producers are urging the Government not to extend the emergency import waivers granted on chicken meat and eggs after Hurricane Melissa, arguing that the concessions have outlived their purpose and now risk hurting local farmers as production rebounds.

The waiver, which temporarily removed duties and General Consumption Tax on selected food imports to cushion shortages after the storm, was initially expected to expire at the end of February. However, agriculture officials have indicated it could be extended to May as a precaution.

Industry data indicates that weekly chicken output is projected to rise to about three to 3.1 million kilogrammes through late March, compared with roughly 2.7 million kilogrammes in the same period last year, suggesting domestic supply has already recovered beyond typical levels.

“We feel fairly confident that the supplies that are there now exceed what is normally available year over year,” Dave Fairman, vice-president of the Best Dressed Chicken Division at Jamaica Broilers Group, told Jamaica Observer in an interview Monday.

Industry representatives say their concern is not with the initial emergency measure, which they acknowledge helped stabilise food supplies following the hurricane’s impact on farms and livestock operations across several parishes. Instead, they argue that extending the waiver could undermine farmers who have spent the past few months rebuilding coops, restocking flocks, and returning to production with support from government agencies, private companies, and aid groups.

“And it’s not just about chicken and eggs. It’s about the entire agricultural sector and ensuring that local farmers are able to recover and continue producing,” said Jaimie Ogilvie, vice-president of the Hi-Pro Division at Jamaica Broilers Group. “Farmers are complaining about onions, tomatoes, and vegetables. There has to be a balance in our import policy. We know it is absolutely necessary, but we cannot have imports coming in and competing with local production if we are trying to resuscitate the agricultural sector.”

Fairman said the recovery reflects a coordinated effort across the industry to ensure that production returned quickly after the storm disrupted farming operations, particularly among small poultry farmers.

“Typically the market averages about two to 2.4 million kilos of chicken meat weekly,” he said. “We feel fairly confident that the supplies that are there now exceed what it normally is year over year.”

Small farmers — who account for roughly 30 to 35 per cent of Jamaica’s chicken meat supply — were among the hardest hit by Hurricane Melissa, with many losing coops and access to electricity and water in parishes such as St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, St James, and Trelawny.

Because broiler chickens typically take six to seven weeks to reach market weight, disruptions to chick placements immediately after the hurricane translated into a temporary dip in supply weeks later, particularly in January.

Since then, producers say output has rebounded sharply as farmers returned to production with assistance from government agencies, private companies, and community support programmes.

Ogilvie said Jamaica Broilers and other industry stakeholders have been supplying materials such as zinc and chicken mesh to help farmers rebuild damaged coops, while also increasing the number of baby chicks distributed to small producers. The ministry itself has distributed about 80,000 baby chicks.

“In January we supplied about 17 per cent more baby chicks to small farmers, and in February it was about 15 per cent more,” he said.

Even as supply has recovered, however, producers say demand remains below normal in some areas, particularly in parts of western Jamaica where hotels, wholesalers, and other businesses are still recovering from the hurricane.

That dynamic has created what producers describe as a distribution imbalance rather than a true shortage, an issue they say has led to some confusion in the market.

“Some people may call it a shortage when it’s not really a shortage,” Fairman explained. “In some communities where small farmers normally supply their markets, those farmers are only now getting back on their feet.”

He noted that the hurricane disproportionately affected small farmers in western parishes, leaving some communities temporarily without their usual local supply chains.

“In many of those areas, the schools, restaurants, and small businesses would normally buy directly from farmers in the community,” Fairman said. “When those farmers were out of production, those customers suddenly had to look elsewhere.”

At the same time, producers in other parts of the island — including areas such as Clarendon and St Catherine — increased their output significantly, creating pockets of surplus supply.

The result, industry representatives say, is that chicken is available nationally, but in some locations consumers may have to rely on distributors or wholesalers from outside their communities until local production is fully restored.

Ogilvie said agencies such as the Rural Agricultural Development Authority have been working to help rebalance supply by connecting farmers with markets across different regions of the island.

“We know that RADA has been working with the farmers to help move the product to where it needs to go,” he said, noting that improved distribution, combined with recovering production in western Jamaica, should stabilise the situation in the coming weeks.

The poultry sector is also monitoring developments in the egg market, where temporary import approvals introduced after the hurricane have already led to signs of oversupply.

Hurricane Melissa resulted in the loss of roughly 400,000 laying hens, forcing the industry and the Government to allow limited egg imports to prevent shortages. But Ogilvie said those imports have recently exceeded what was originally contemplated.

“We are seeing a temporary glut on the market,” he said, noting that imported eggs are entering the market at prices below what local farmers can produce. “Egg farmers are selling for what they were selling before Melissa…anywhere from $1,300 to $1,500 a tray.”

He then explained that the imported eggs — particularly medium-size eggs from the United States — are being sold below that market level, which is contributing to the glut and making it harder for farmers to move local stock.

Broiler chickens feeding inside a poultry house. Producers say chicken supply has recovered and that current gaps in some areas reflect distribution challenges rather than shortages. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)

OGILVIE…it’s not just about chicken and eggs. It’s about the entire agricultural sector and ensuring that local farmers are able to recover and continue producing.