UNITED STATES-MEAT FOR THE CARIBBEAN.
In 2008, it made up nearly $150 million in US beef and pork exports. The island region was also the largest destination for US lamb – with the purchase of approximately half the value of all US lamb exports.
USMEF hosts retail executives
According to reports,the US Meat Export Federation hosted a group of Caribbean retail executives recently in order to educate them on the attributes of US beef and pork.
"I was here two years ago to go on the farms and I never realised that they were so advanced in the use of technologies ...to get better animals to yield exactly what they want. I can go back home with a better command and knowledge of what is happening in the beef industry in the US so I can help educate our customers. It’s not just a price thing, it’s also about quality in what we’re getting and it’s safe," stated Troy Valcin, perishables director of St. Lucia’s largest grocery chain, Super J.
Restricted
"Last year we did a big push on US pork and we bring in a lot of fresh pork. We are restricted in that we have to buy 60% of local pork (first) in order to bring in US pork. But that has not stopped us. We have found creative ways of pushing our local pork so we can bring in fresh (US) pork and give our customers more variety," Valcin added.
"We support our local farmers and we’ll continue to push them," she said. "But we’re a small island and we can only purchase so much (locally) and we have international customers coming in. Our No. 1 industry is the tourism industry. It is really frustrating to customers because they can’t get the range of products they want.
Valcin stated more growth in the future is seen, even though her country has restrictions on pork and bone-in beef imports.
