Dairy Board CEO Cites Benefits of Policy Framework for Local Dairy Industry

Despite the challenges currently facing the dairy industry, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Jamaica Dairy Development Board (JDDB), Dr. Paul Jennings, believes the sector can rebound through the establishment of a policy framework that will generate new investments.
Dr. Jennings tells JIS News that, currently, milk production is way below where it could be. “I say that against the background that in 1992, we had peaked at some 38.8 million litres of milk. What has characterised the period since then, has been almost a consistent decline, down to 14 or 14.1 million litres, and a significant reduction in the number of players in the local sector.”
He points out, however, that data for the first six months of this year indicates that “we should come out a little better than we did last year”, noting that with Serge Island Dairies Limited, having just completed the commissioning of a new dairy at Belvedere in St. Thomas, it is expected that the impact of that will be seen during the last quarter of this year. “So we expect that we should be coming closer to about 14