Philippine meat imports up 7% in August

MANILA, Philippines — Pork and chicken continued to drive the country’s meat imports, which rose seven percent as of end-August.

Latest data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showed the country imported 851.84 million kilos of meat and meat products from January to August, higher than the 795.59 million kilos shipped in the same period last year.

Pork imports accounted for more than half of the total meat, or 54 percent, at 464.84 million kilos, 20.56 percent higher than the previous year.

This has breached the forecast of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on pork.

Earlier, the USDA said pork imports are expected to reach 400,000 metric tons (MT) or 400 million kilos this year, driven by the extended reduced tariffs on pork imports under executive order (EO) 171.

Under EO 171, the 15 percent in-quota and 25 percent out quota tariff rates for pork will be extended until Dec. 31 to bring down prices and stabilize the supply of pork in the country.

Pork cuts accounted for the highest imports with 206.32 million kilos followed by offals – or internal organs – with at 143.56 million kilos.

The top sources of pork are Spain at 154.54 million kilos, Canada at 86.91 million kilos, and Brazil at 48.12 million kilos.

Chicken was the second major imported meat for the period, accounting for 23.73 percent of the total.

The BAI data showed chicken imports reached 244.8 million kilos, a five percent decline from 260.31 million kilos shipped in the same period last year.

Deboned chicken meat was the top imported product at 148.38 million kilos, followed by chicken leg quarters at 61.8 million kilos.

The top three sources of chicken meat were Brazil at 135.8 million kilos, the US, 73.3 million kilos and Canada, at 10.22 million kilos.

Figures from BAI showed beef imports inched lower from 111.88-million kilos to 110.12-million kilos. Brazil and Australia were the top sources of beef at 42.27-million kilos and 28.72-million kilos, respectively.

As of end-August, the country also imported buffalo meat at 31.28-million kilos, down 13.6 percent year-on-year; duck at 48,518 kilos, a 13.19 percent decrease; lamb at 445,052 kilos, up 38.58 percent and turkey at 304,356 kilos, a 76.08 percent drop.