Meat imports up 3 percent in Q1

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s meat imports grew by three percent to over 270,000 metric tons (MT) in the first quarter on the back of higher pork purchases, latest government data showed.

Data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showed that meat imports reached 273,640 MT from January to March this year versus the 265,517 MT recorded in the same period in 2023.

Higher pork and beef imports lifted the overall volume of imported meat products during the quarter.

Pork imports rose by almost 12 percent to 128,510 MT from 114,819 MT, while beef imports increased by 6.5 percent to 35,319 MT from 33,146 MT last year.

Meanwhile, chicken meat imports declined by 5.6 percent to 97,031 MT from 102,744 MT due to lower purchases of mechanically deboned meat, based on BAI data.

The Meat Importers and Traders Association (Mita) attributed the higher imports to “front-loading” done by importers to replenish their stocks post-Holiday season.

The higher purchases of chicken cuts and leg quarters abroad could indicate that domestic consumption is shifting toward chicken meat since it is more affordable than pork, Mita president emeritus Jesus Cham said.

Combined imports of chicken cuts and leg quarters totaled to 45,015 MT, three percent over the 43,612 MT recorded volume in 2023.

However, Cham said importers are “cautious” on future pork purchases as they face various headwinds, including the alleged delays in the distribution of the minimum access volume (MAV) allocation.

Cham added that the government has limited the pork cuts that recently accredited exporting countries can ship to the Philippines.

The items excluded, Cham said, were bellies, loins and boneless cuts of leg and shoulder or locally known as kasim and pigue, which are commonly sought by local consumers.

Cham added the persistence of African swine fever in foreign countries could reduce global pork supply, resulting in upward price pressure.

The ongoing conflicts in other parts of the world provide support for a stronger US dollar leading to higher landed costs of imported meat products, Cham said.

The group urged the government to extend the lower tariff on pork imports and expand the MAV for both pork and poultry in line with President Marcos’ Administrative Order 20.

The order instructed various government agencies to facilitate the importation of certain agricultural products beyond authorized MAV.

Imports within the MAV are levied with a lower tariff compared to goods imported outside the mechanism.