The local demand for freshwater fish in Jamaica is on the rebound, but there is no corresponding return to production to fill the gap despite urgings from the state for growers and processors to ramp up output.

 

The country suspended fish imports from South-east Asian fish sources in April citing sanitary and phyto-sanitary concerns.

 

The local consumption market is now looking to Jamaican processors for supplies, but the latter are wary that the demand shift might not hold.

 

Fish farmers lost local market share in 2008 and 2009 when locally produced frozen tilapia fillet were replaced by imported stock mainly from China that sold at half the price of domestic product.

 

Jamaica Broilers Group, which exported about 100,000 pounds of frozen fillet per week at its peak, had slashed production and later began importing frozen fillet in order to retain customers unwilling to pay high prices.

 

Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Marc Panton said Jamaica could reclaim its position as the largest tilapia producer in the Caribbean, noting that in the Jamaican market fast-food chains KFC and Burger King could use as much as 30,000 kilogramnes of fish fillet monthly.

 

"We were the largest producer of tilapia in the Caribbean but, due to a liberal trade policy, productive capacity was wiped out," he said.

 

"We have the capacity to produce and we want to bring it back."

 

But, Jamaica Broilers, which up to early last year was the largest local producer, is in a wait-and-see mode. Sales Manager Oliver Mair said the company was assessing the situation to determine how best to increase production.

 

"We still produce tilapia. We have never stopped producing on the local market," said Mair.

 

Compared to poultry production, Broilers' core business, the tilapia farming was much more challenging as it takes 18-19 months for production, and cannot be ramped up overnight, he added.

 

The local market for tilapia is made up largely of restaurants and hotels. Jamaica Broilers also exported to US grocers Winn-Dixie and Publix, as well as UK-based supermarket chain Tesco, but withdrew from the overseas market in 2008.

 

Speaking of price competitiveness, Panton said those who are comparing Jamaican fish growing and processing operations to the Chinese should note the Asian country's vast land space, low electricity costs and few security problems which all result in lower production costs.

 

Development of land fishing, he added, would both provide employment and reduce pressure on sea fish.