Peckish due to ASF? Orders surge for PH poultry

More than three months after clearing the Philippines of avian flu, Seoul has given three poultry manufacturers the go-ahead to start exporting chicken to South Korea.

The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) announced this a month after an official delegation from the Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs visited the Philippines to conduct onsite inspection and accreditation of new poultry manufacturing facilities.

BAI said the three approved facilities were LPD Farms Food Corp. in La Union, Carino and Sons Agri-Development, Inc. in Batangas, and Ana’s Breeder Farms, Inc. in Davao City.

To recall, the South Korean government banned poultry products from the Philippines after the latter reported cases of avian influenza in 2017.

The ban was lifted in July this year after the country was able to restore its highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)-free status from the Organization for Animal Health.

Last year, South Korea imported 140,000 metric tons (MT) of chicken. This is expected to rise to 145,000 MT this year.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported chicken production here grew by 5 percent to 1.4 million MT at end-September. Demand for chicken, both in the Philippines and abroad,  is expected to rise amid the ongoing African swine fever outbreak.