Agriculture department eyeing South Korea for chicken exports

A SOUTH Korean company may start the importation of processed chicken meat products from the Philippines if Seoul will be able to immediately conclude its quarantine requirements and risk analysis of local poultry production, a senior official of the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Friday.

Bureau of Animal Industry ( BAI) director Efren Nuestro revealed that they have started talks with Korea’s Sinwoo Food Inc. for the importation of heat- treated and fresh frozen chicken leg quarters, noting that they are just waiting for the approval of the Korean government.

“We have already submitted the necessary documents to the Korean government on how we handle the pesticide and drug residue, which is one of their major concerns,” he said.

“The Philippines has been exporting chicken meat to Japan since 2004, which has one of the most stringent standards, but we are able to comply with their requirements. This is a good indicator for Korea to pursue importation in the Philippines,” Nuestro added.

The DA official said that they expect to facilitate the early commencement of the project, if possible, by May 2012.

Nuestro said that South Korea, which currently imports their chicken requirements from the United States and Brazil, is now more interested in chicken products from the Philippines because the fowls grown here are tastier.

The official also noted that as an Avian Influenza- free country and in terms of logistics, the Philippines is in closer proximity to Korea as opposed to its traditional meat exporters.

Meanwhile, Nuestro said that officials from San Miguel Food Inc. and Bounty Fresh Food Inc. have presented their production, market offer and export capacity to their counterparts in Sinwoo Food.

Earlier, Agriculture department officials met with their counterparts from South Korea to discuss the South Korea- Philippines multi- industry cluster project, a possible overseas development assistance cooperation on agriculture and the execution of pest risk analysis on fresh agriculture products including poultry.

The Philippines has become a preferred provider of chicken products in Asia since the country remains free from the dreaded avian influenza virus, which has crippled poultry industries of its neighbors in the region.