Barbadians could see a modest increase in poultry prices as the industry grapples with supply chain disruptions and rising production costs.The Barbados Egg and Poultry Producers Association (BEPPA) has warned that while efforts are being made to keep chicken and eggs affordable, consumers may face price hikes of up to one dollar in the coming months.On Wednesday, top officials gave assurances that all was being done to ensure the average consumer could afford chicken and eggs, indicating that while some of the production costs will be passed on to consumers, the price would not increase by more than one dollar.In a move to avoid a shortage of chicken, the island’s main hatchery had to source fertile hatching eggs from a new supplier.Last month, Barry Gale, managing director of Gale’s Agro Products, said he had to increase the price of chicks in March because he could no longer source eggs from his traditional supplier in the United States due to an avian influenza outbreak in the state of Georgia. He explained that while the farm that supplies him with eggs was not affected, as a precautionary measure that particular farming zone in Georgia was on lockdown, prohibiting any poultry products from leaving that area.It remains unclear when that zone will reopen.Gale said he therefore had to ship eggs from Europe at a cost of about 10 per cent more than usual that will be passed on to his clientele.
