Last Updated on September 11, 2020, 7:51 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Shopkeepers and retailers across Jamaica are reportedly rationing chicken because of a shortage of poultry meat in the market place.
Molynes Freshly Cut Meat and Grocery’s Shannon West said that he does not have any other choice except limiting the amount of chicken which he sells to any customer.
He said that he usually has the ability to sell a bag or even two, but now he can not, so it can be imagined that restaurant owners who depend on them for their livelihood, how the lifestyles have been disrupted. He limits them to 10 pounds depending on how much he gets.
West said that since the shortage of chicken hit the market, customers are turning to other protein sources such as turkey neck and fish.
Nickita Smith, a small business owner who runs a community shop in Arnett Gardens, St Andrew, said that she has been struggling to source chicken meat for about two weeks.
The switch from the consumption of protein sources such as pork and beef to chicken is said to be a primary factor which fuelling the shortage of poultry meat in the market.
Caribbean Broilers, a major producer of chicken meat in Jamaica, said that the company is selling more chicken now than it was selling at the corresponding period last week.
Dave Fairman, president of the Best Dressed Chicken division, said that according to their numbers, they had sold more chicken meat in August 2020 than they did in the same period last year. This is being done even after the fact that they do not have all legs of the economy running at full capacity, for instance, the hotel and restaurant industries.
He added that there have also been a notable shift in the demand from other animal proteins. For example, turkey neck is now being sold within the same bracket as chicken meat.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
