Meat imports rise 50% in January

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s meat imports in January surged by half year-on-year to over 130,000 metric tons (MT) on the back of higher purchases of key meat products, as domestic production remained lackluster.

Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) data showed that meat imports during the reference month reached nearly 138,000 MT, about 46,000 MT higher than the 92,021 MT recorded in the same period last year.

The country’s imports of pork, chicken meat and beef, which accounted for 98.5 percent of the total volume, all grew on an annual basis.

Local pork production remains insufficient to meet the country’s overall demand for the meat product, resulting in higher imports, the Meat Importers and Traders Association (MITA) said.

Pork prices have also remained elevated with some cuts reaching as high as P470 per kilo because of the domestic supply shortfall.

Pork imports surged by 65 percent to 70,449 MT from 42,607 MT with imports of both bellies and cuts growing by double-digit rates.

Imports of pork bellies went up by 87 percent year-on-year to 11,148 MT from 5,963 MT while pork cuts rose by 58 percent to 25,760 MT, based on BAI data.

Furthermore, consumers have shifted toward cheaper alternatives like chicken meat and even to beef as the price difference with pork has become relatively thinner than ever as pork prices remained high.

This incentivized traders and importers to bring in more foreign supplies to meet the growing demand for higher animal protein products, MITA said.

Whole chicken prices in Metro Manila range from P160 to P240 per kilo while beef ranges from P350 to P510 per kilo depending on the cut, according to the Department of Agriculture.

“Unless the hog industry can return to previous production level and at competitive pricing, imports will continue to grow,” MITA president emeritus Jesus Cham said.

Chicken meat imports rose by 48 percent year-on-year to 45,631 MT from 30,794 MT. Imports of chicken cuts, leg quarters and mechanically deboned meat all grew on an annual basis.

Chicken cut imports expanded by nearly 60 percent year-on-year to 6,926 MT while purchases of chicken leg quarters abroad rose by 53 percent to 12,462 MT, according to BAI data.

Imports of chicken MDM, a vital ingredient used by processors to produce items like hotdogs and meat loaves, increased by 48 percent to 24,226 MT from 16,328 MT.

Beef imports, meanwhile, expanded by half to 19,895 MT from 13,181 MT, BAI data showed.