Trinis eating plenty pork, but Bajans eating more

SOME people in Trinidad want to have nothing to do with pork. But as far as the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources is concerned, the pork industry is one of the local success stories. Minister of Agriculture, Jarrette Narine, said: “From an economic perspective, the industry contributes over US$5 million annually to Agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP).” He explained that in comparison to another key livestock industry, poultry, “one can obtain a sense of how well the industry performs.” According to Minister Narine, poultry contributes over $US3 million annually to agricultural GDP. Narine also explained that besides the contribution to agriculture GDP, the pork industry makes a key contribution to employment, food security and rural development.

He told a ceremony to mark the inauguration of the Pork Association of the Caribbean: “My Ministry has identified the pork industry as one of the key livestock industries, and is committed to ensuring its sustainability.” Narine made it clear that there was a huge demand for pork and pork products in Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the Caribbean, with Jamaica and Barbados being the main pork lovers. He learnt that pork meat made up 25 percent of total meats consumed, and in Trinidad and Tobago  “but we are a bit behind,” Narine noted. He saw a reason for this low figure: “This relatively low consumption is due to the relative prices between pork and other meats, limited promotion and cultural and religious taboos.” Narine said he hoped the local pork producers would  address the figure through innovative promotion terchniques. He added: “It has been recognised that pork consumers in the region are generally shifting from traditiional cuts to more convenient by-products, such as bacon, sliced ham and sausages.”According to the minister, research indicated that consumption of these products was also increasing. He thought that the formation of a regional pork association was a step in the right direction.