The volume of meat imports in the first quarter this year increased by 1.03 percent to 265.52 million kilograms from last year of only 262.81 million kg, according to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).
Pork made up the bulk of imports at 114.82 million kg or 43.24 percent of all meat during the period. This was 17.24 percent lower compared to the year ago first-quarter pork imports of 138.74 million kg.
Chicken followed with 102.74 million kg or 38.7 percent of all imported meat, representing a 31.85 percent surge from last year’s 77.93 million kg.
The BAI reported first-quarter beef imports this year of 33.15 million kg or 12.48 percent of all meat imports. This was 11.27 percent lower than the 37.36 million kg of beef imports in first quarter last year.
The Philippines also imported 14.47 million kg of buffalo during the period, a 70.62 percent jump from 8.48 million kg in Q1 2022. Turkey meat imports slumped 60.77 percent to 87,739 kg from 223,642 kg in Q1 2022.
Lamb imports in Q1 this year totaled 140,868 kg, a 127.73 percent jump from Q1 2022’s 61,858 kg while duck imports totaled 102,717 equal to a 493.43 percent increase from 2022 figures of only 17,309 kg.
Earlier, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said the production of beef, pork and chicken in the Philippines will improve this year as the economy continues to reopen.
The USDA said local beef production this year were to hit 185,000 metric tons (MT), up 1 percent from 183,000 MT in 2022 while beef imports were estimated at 260,000 MT, up 1.6 percent from last year’s 256,000 MT.
Pork production was seen hitting 975,000 MT or 5.4 percent higher than 2022’s 925,000 MT as its importation declines an estimated 6.25 percent to 525,000 MT as prices escalate in the international market.
Chicken meat production were seen rising 2.8 percent to 1.48 million MT from 1.44 million MT last year as imports grow 4.6 percent to 520,000 MT from 497,000 in 2022.
