PH meat Q1 imports on steady uptrend
Meat imports that entered the Philippines slightly inched higher in the first quarter as the country purchased more pork and chicken from abroad in March, according to data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).
The country imported 265.5 million kilograms (kg) of meat in the first three months of 2022, up by 1.03 percent from 262.8 million kg in the previous year.
In March alone, imported meat stood at 99.4 million kg, higher than 89.6 million in February and 76.5 million kg in January, sustaining a three-month uptrend.
Pork topped the list with 114.8 million kg, comprising almost half or 43.2 percent of the total, making it the major driver of meat imports. It has been on an uptrend for the past three months.
Combined, offal (58.3 million kg) and pork cuts (26.6 million kg) accounted for more than two-thirds of imported meat.
Chicken came next with 102.7 million kg, representing a share of 38.7 percent. Similar to pork, chicken has maintained its upward trajectory.
Mechanically deboned chicken or mechanically separated chicken comprised more than half of imported chicken with 54.1 million kg, followed by chicken leg quarter with 30.2 million kg.
Beef was a distant third with 33.1 million kg, equivalent to a 12.5 percent share, with beef cuts taking the lion’s share with nearly 20 million kg.
Unlike pork and chicken, the volume of imported beef that reached the archipelago took a nosedive since the beginning of this year.
The country also sourced buffalo (14.5 million kg), lamb (140,868 kg), duck (102,717 kg) and turkey (87,739 kg).
Brazil retained its spot as the leading source of meat and meat products with 79.9 million kg. The majority of these are chicken and pork.
The United States placed second with 48.2 million kg, mostly chicken and pork while Spain settled at third with 33.4 million kg, mainly pork.
The top exporters of pork were Spain, Canada and Spain during the reference period. In the case of chicken, Brazil topped the list and the US came next.
The US Department of Agriculture earlier downgraded its projection on this year’s pork imports to 525,000 metric tons (MT) from 559,777 MT in 2022 because of high pork prices in the international market and lower demand.
Likewise, the foreign agency raised its chicken imports forecast to 520,000 MT from 497,000 MT previously on the back of rising demand amid the recorded local cases of African swine fever and bird flu.
