Barbadian farmers are being subjected to unfair competition and should not be blamed for their inability to meet the country’s high demand for chicken wings, says James Paul, chief executive officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS).
He told BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY that the price at which local farmers sold their chicken wings was really “an artificial price”.
Paul noted that in more developed countries such as the United States and Europe, people consumed more breast meat (white meat), but Barbadians preferred darker pieces such as chicken wings and legs.
Because of this, he said, those specific parts were shipped to Barbados from those countries at a reduced rate, leading to a glut of imported chicken wings on the island.
Paul said this put local farmers at a disadvantage.
“In respect of our poultry, we can only produce a certain amount, which is around nine million chickens on an annual basis, and that is not enough, given the amount of wings that you anticipate.
“It would not be possible for local farmers to be able to compete with the prices which those international companies are offering,” he said.
Paul suggested that better marketing strategies should be used in the promotion of local poultry to tell consumers about the benefits of other parts of the chicken.
“I think the demand for chicken wings in Barbados has a lot to do with marketing,” he said.
“If you were to promote the other aspects of the chicken, I think that we would probably be able to get more consumers on board who would be willing to eat parts other than chicken wings.”
Paul was speaking after a recent Barbados Egg and Poultry Producers’ Association seminar where president Carlyle Brathwaite gave his assurance that there would be no shortage of eggs, chickens or turkeys this Christmas.
