JBG’s Best Dressed Chicken $200-Million Hatchery Upgrade a Boost for Poultry Sector

• The almost $200-million expansion of Best Dressed Chicken’s Cumberland Hatchery in Portmore is being hailed by Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., as a major boost for the agriculture sector. The expansion increases the hatchery’s capacity by 70 per cent, allowing the company to better meet the demands of the local market and, particularly, small poultry farmers, by ensuring a steady supply of baby chicks.
• Speaking at the reopening ceremony on Wednesday (May 10), Minister Charles Jr., said the Jamaica Broilers Group, which is the parent organization of Best Dressed Chicken, continues to be a “primary strategic partner” with a “long and rich history” of assisting small farmers across Jamaica. For his part, Group President and Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Broilers Group, Christopher Levy, said that the upgrade is an investment in the small farmers of the country, who represent 30 per cent of the production of poultry meat in Jamaica.
• Mr. Levy said that the small poultry farmers are the country’s first line of defence against imported poultry, and the recent investment in the Cumberland Hatchery is to bring the company “up to amazing standards”. Furthermore, he outlined that the move is hoped to instill greater confidence in the poultry sector and spur other investments.
• The increased capacity provided by the Cumberland hatchery will help shore up the local supply of baby chicks going to small farmers - a critical part of the sector, especially as Jamaica is looking to reduce poultry imports. This will also be good for JBG in terms of sales thereby boosting bottom-line growth.

(Source: JIS News)