(Trinidad Express) The Poultry Association is calling on Government to intervene to keep chicken prices down as feed prices go up.
“I would think without intervention prices will go up between now and September unless something is done until grain prices regularise,” Association president Robin Phillips told the Express on Thursday in a telephone interview.
Phillips said the Association is meeting with various stakeholders, including the Ministry of Food Production on Monday, to discuss options.
Local poultry and livestock feed prices are expected to rise sharply as a North American drought has led to skyrocketing costs in corn and soybeans—the main ingredient in animal feed—which will be passed on to the consumer.
Local feed producers say increased prices on their upcoming shipments will mean an inevitable rise in production costs that must be passed on.
“That means our (poultry farmers) input costs will go up, so our output costs have to go up too. That is the natural progression of the system without intervention,” Phillips added.
“For example, we (local poultry producer Arawak) are spending TT$800,000 extra for grain (feed). That is a significant portion of our production costs. We are hoping to get some support to bring balance to operating costs and reduce the impact on the consumer that we are already feeling,” he said.
Minister of Food Production Devant Maharaj acknowledged in a telephone interview on Thursday that the country needed to increase its food security.
“We are meeting with the Ministry of Finance to discuss further and get approval to put our policies in place to increase production and value for import-substitution crops,” he said.
