July 10, 2013

 

Hundreds of Jamaican pig farmers will benefit from the export thrust as Caribbean Producers Jamaica Ltd, (CPJ) has identified several markets for commercial export of Jamaican pork.

 

CPJ targets markets in St Maarten, St Lucia, Antigua & Barbuda, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Aruba, and Curacao. To drive the exports, CPJ has joined forces with Sweet River Abattoir, which is one of the leading slaughterhouses in Jamaica, handling pigs supplied by almost 400 farmers from across the island.

 

Sweet River is now in an advanced stage of building a new US$3-million abattoir in Westmoreland and the farmers are also investing approximately US$3-million in their growing operations to take advantage of the export opportunities. These investments feed directly into CPJ's US$5-million, state-of-the-art meat processing plant at its Montego Bay headquarters.

 

Sweet River's managing director, Valdence Gifford, a veteran in the local pork industry, said that his company, which currently operates at another facility, is looking forward to the completion and full commissioning of the new abattoir in Westmoreland. "When we move operations to our new home, we anticipate that we will more than double our production. We have been partnering with approximately 400 pig farmers from 10 parishes, but there is potential to expand to almost 1,000 pig farmers when the new plant is opened and operating at capacity," Gifford said. It is against this background that Gifford is convinced that the export initiative has come at an opportune time.

 

"Let's face it, we cannot consume all the pork we produce in Jamaica and for the industry to remain viable and grow, moving aggressively into the export market is essential. Our new plant, when complete will gain international quality certification such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Points (HACCP), Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), and additionally the farmers we purchase pigs from will have to be certified by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA). We are positioning ourselves to deliver the best quality pork products, both locally and overseas," he said.

 

When completed, Valdence Gifford expects his Sweet River Abattoir to directly employ 50 people, but it is the indirect employment possibilities which are enormous. Gifford said that the per capita consumption of pork in Jamaica is 3.3 kilogrammes annually, well below that of countries such as Canada, the US and Cuba where the annual per capita consumption stands at 24, 28 and 45 kilogrammes respectively. He notes that with such a relatively low local consumption, tapping into exports is a prudent option.

 

One of those pig farmers who is optimistic about the future growth of the export initiative is Henry Graham, who operates over 100,000 square feet of pig pens at his Top Gate Farms in Little London, Westmoreland. Graham said that the general consensus in the industry is that opening of export markets will take the farming operations to the next level. "Farmers are already seeking ways to produce more efficiently, through the research of new types of feeds and ways in which we grow the animals. The investment into a new abattoir at Sweet River in Westmoreland is also a huge boost for us because this means we can increase our production," noted Graham.

 

CPJ's Executive Chairman Mark Hart and Chief Executive Officer Tom Tyler also expect a hugely positive impact on pig farming communities, because of the opening of export markets for Jamaican pork products.

 

Tyler noted that the commercial export of pork products will provide an avenue to absorb the excess pork butts and loins in the Jamaican market. "Through our new state-of-the-art plant, we are able not only to export these cuts, but also to find alternative ways to use them to make other products which can do well in Jamaica and overseas," he said.

 

Mark Hart is projecting that CPJ will export up to 10 containers of meat products, including pork, for the remainder of 2013, and two containers a month in the medium term, starting next year. The company's meat processing plant operates at international standards with a distinct focus on quality assurance, research and development.

 

CPJ was founded in 1994 and has been listed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) since July 20, 2011. The company is one of Jamaica's leading food-service distributors and its drive to export Jamaican pork commercially is one of its latest initiatives.