Meat imports down by 10% in 10 months  

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s overall meat imports dropped by nearly 10 percent at end-October,  pulled down by lower pork and beef shipments, which accounted for over 60 percent of the total.

Latest data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showed the country imported 1.02 billion kilos of meat and meat products in ten months ending October, a 9.69-percent decrease from the 1.13 billion kilos in the same period last year.

Pork – which accounts for 49.48 percent of the total volume – saw a 16.94 percent drop in shipments to 504.31 million kilos from 607.14 million kilos a year earlier.

Pork offals – or internal organs – were the most imported pork products at 184.17 million kilos followed by pork cuts at 183.14 million kilos.

Spain remained as the top source of pork products at 121.77 million kilos, followed by Brazil at 92.12 million kilos and Canada at 92.09 million kilos.

Figures from BAI also showed beef imports sipped by 20.95 percent to 120.64 million kilos or about 11.84 percent of the total.

Beef cuts accounted for the bulk with 77.54 million kilos followed by fats at 19.93 million kilos.

Brazil is the top source of beef shipments with 46.58 million kilos while the country imported 34.44 million kilos from Australia, making it the second top source.

Chicken – the second most imported meat product at 35.25 percent – registered a 9.63 percent rise in imports to 359.23 million kilos from 327.68 million kilos last year.

Mechanically deboned chicken meat was the top imported product with 193.61 million kilos, followed by chicken leg quarters with 95.55 million kilos.