The $40 million Caribbean Egg Processors Limited, which will produce pasteurised liquid eggs for local and regional markets, is now open for business.

Preliminary plans are already in place for the export of pasteurised liquid eggs to hoteliers in the region, said the company's Vice-President, Roy Baker.

Commissioned into service in February, the facility, which is located in the Montego Bay Freeport, is the first of its kind in the region. It is expected not only to satisfy the demand for liquid eggs by hoteliers but will also help increase the consumption of eggs locally.

Low-egg consumption

According to Mr. Baker, Jamaica's per capita consumption of eggs is among the lowest in the world, with only a seasonal heightening of demand at Christmas time. As such, he told JIS News, there is a lot of wastage.

"Traditionally, farmers have to cut back egg production after Christmas. At Christmas there is a peak demand; after Christmas there is usually an abundance of eggs on the market, which depresses the prices and it puts farmers out of business," he noted.

"We want to get more people to use eggs and this is one of our biggest challenges. With the realisation of the liquid egg plant, we see where we could appease this problem considerably because with liquid eggs, we have a longer shelf life and we have a wider market," he said.

Mr. Baker pointed out further that the local supply of liquid eggs will create diversity by offering consumers choices. "From the pasteurised product, we can produce egg white only, the yoke only, or a combination of both. This, again, will widen the band for people using eggs," he said.

Competitive prices

Turning to the local hospitality industry, he noted that the company intends to offer competitive prices to hoteliers who now import liquid eggs from overseas to meet international food safety standards.

"I do not want to support the view that we can produce it (liquid eggs) here cheaper than they (hoteliers) can import it," he asserted. "This certainly would not be realistic but I can tell you, we are not compromising in quality and we are also not producing at any exorbitant increase in the cost of production," the vice-president continued.

Mr. Baker told JIS News that the facility, as well as the machinery, have met all the international standards of safety. "Our machines meet the international requirements and we have been in discussions with all the statutory people - the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security - and all the critical things have been dealt with," he informed.

He noted that while "we are having our challenges in terms of a new operation, it is going very well".

The plant has the capacity to convert some 18,000 eggs per hour.