As the holiday season approaches, Saint Lucians often brace for shortages in key staples like eggs, and chicken due to increased demand.
And although pork is not normally on the scarcity list, pig farmers are stepping up to meet the festive demand.
President of the Pig Farmers Association, Karl Daniel, has assured consumers that there will be no shortage of pork for the Christmas season, thanks to a surplus in local production.
“We have an overproduction of pork locally, so the normal consumption during Christmas will be taken care of because we have a lot of suppliers,” Daniel confidently told St. Lucia Times.
Despite this positive outlook for consumers, he highlighted deeper systemic issues affecting the sector’s sustainability.
According to Daniel, the primary challenge lies not in production but in the lack of a reliable market and a fair price to farmers for pork.
“ While the government has implemented a mechanism to ensure the purchasing of a percentage of local pork, this system has proven inconsistent; there is a mechanism, but it’s not reliable,” he noted. “We do not have any input within that mechanism.”
The uncertainty in the market creates difficulties for farmers, who often struggle to receive fair compensation for their products. “Anybody who is producing a product and is not being fairly compensated means that it is not sustainable, which brings serious issues,” Daniel explained.
In response to these challenges, the Pig Farmers Association is actively working with the Ministry of Agriculture and other organisations to develop a more sustainable system. Efforts are also being made to address food security concerns.
“We are presently working on a better system with the government to ensure food security,” Daniel told St. Lucia Times.
To this end, the association is engaging with stakeholders from other countries who have provided guidance on creating a sustainable pork sector. A meeting with local farmers is scheduled to discuss strategies for achieving sustainability.
“The more we can cooperate and bring our people together, the better,” Daniel emphasised. “Apart from producing pork, which is food from which farmers create employment—if farmers are being unfairly paid, there cannot be sustainability.”
As stakeholders continue to collaborate on long-term solutions, Daniel’s goal is to create a thriving and sustainable pork industry that benefits farmers and consumers alike.
