Caribbean Broilers Group says Jamaicans could see higher food prices in the coming months as rising global costs begin to pressure the local agricultural sector.

Speaking on Taking Stock with Kalilah Reynolds, CB Group CEO Matthew Lyn said the company has managed to hold prices steady on its food products for more than two years and on feed products for nearly four years, but mounting international pressures are becoming harder to avoid.

“As oil prices are going up, grain prices are going up, logistics prices are going up. And that’s going to lead to a cost increase on our side,” he said.

He added that consumers should expect “some movement” in CB Group’s pricing during the coming quarter.

The warning comes as the company launches what it calls its “Time Is Now” campaign, a major push to modernise Jamaica’s egg and pork industries through climate-smart farming systems and expanded partnerships with independent farmers.

Part of the investment will go toward building a modern egg facility in St Catherine capable of housing 40,000 birds. Lyn said the operation will use tunnel-ventilated housing systems designed to better withstand storms and improve production efficiency.

The investment follows severe losses caused by Hurricane Melissa, which wiped out CB Group’s egg farm in Bamboo, St Ann.

“We lost 100% of our square footage. So, all the houses and we lost all the birds,” Lyn said.

CB Group has not produced eggs since the hurricane, but Lyn said the company plans to use the new operation as a pilot for a future contract farming programme that would allow more local farmers to enter the egg business.

The company is also investing in a pig breeding facility that will supply baby pigs to contract growers for finishing. Lyn said the model is intended to reduce the high upfront costs currently associated with pig farming.

CB Group says the wider goal is to strengthen Jamaica’s food security and reduce the country’s dependence on imported food.