Saturday, September 27, 2014 | 4:46 PM
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dervan Spence, has lauded local pig farmers for creating a “self-sufficient pork industry”.
Spence, who was speaking at the 12th annual general meeting of the Jamaica Pig Farmers Association (JPFA) held in Mandeville on Thursday (September 25), said Jamaica produces nearly 10 million kilograms of pork annually, which is more than enough to satisfy local consumption.
He noted that this independence from importing pork and pork products, exemplifies, in several ways, the goal of the Government to achieve food and nutrition security.
“We are seeking to ensure sustainable food security and the aim is to attain self-sufficiency in many areas. We are now looking at that in Irish potato and several other crops coming on stream, and the plan is to target the expansion of the export sector, once we have satisfied the local market,” Spence said.
He noted that having successfully increased production to sustainable levels, the pork industry can now lead the way in terms of expansion into export markets and diversification of product lines.
The chief technical director gave the pig farmers the assurance, that the Government has every intention to build on and preserve the gains that have been made.
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Jamaica now looking to export pork as local industry booms
