Phl remains heavily dependent on meat imports

The country’s meat processing industry remains heavily reliant on importation despite the notable increase in the local production of meat.

The National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, said the country’s meat production was not sufficient to meet the demand of meat processors due to their specific requirements.

“The system for local producers here in the Philippines is not yet in place to produce the specific commodity (used for processed meat). It is still difficult for local producers to cater to the requirement of the processing industries,” NMIS deputy executive director Beata Obsioma said.

The Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (PAMPI) has earlier projected a continuous demand for processed food in the Philippines this year amid increasing purchasing power of Filipinos.

PAMPI is composed of 52 members which account for more than P300 billion in annual sales and provide direct and indirect jobs and livelihood to some 300,000 Filipinos.

However, the local meat processing sector is being kept from increasing its capacity due to shortage of local meat supply, forcing companies to import majority of their raw materials.

“It’s hard to produce locally the way we want the meat to be sold unlike in developed countries, they really know the requirements of the processing industry,” Obsioma said.

“Supplying the processors is almost impossible to produce. That’s why the department is allowing that (importation) because we cannot really provide locally,” she added.

The country’s meat and meat product imports for January to August rose 12 percent to 418.6 million kilograms.

Pork, the largest meat product sourced abroad where bulk is imported from Germany and Spain, posted a 16 percent increase to 185.2 million kg.

The NMIS, on the other hand, stressed that the Philippines is sufficient in terms of hogs and poultry but majority of supply is being sold to the country’s wet markets.

The agency noted that the number of slaughter houses and accredited facilities has increased up to 10 percent per annum, driven by a growing population.

Over the past five years, Filipinos’ per capita consumption of meat has increased to 15 kg for pork, 10 to 14 kg for chicken and two kg for beef.