Deboned meat imports down 53%

CUMULATIVE imports of mechanically deboned meat (MDM) for the four months to April this year declined by 53% compared to the same period last year as local processors substituted MDM with local products to offset high procurement costs.

Data gathered from the Livestock and Meat Advisory Council (LMAC) shows that during the first four months of this year, the country managed to import MDM amounting to 370 metric tonnes (mt), with the average procurement cost increasing by 72% to $743 per mt.

Average monthly imports from January to April 2020 was 93mt, compared to 195mt over the same period in 2019.

This story is for NewsDay subscribers.