The Philippines imported 923.16 million kg of meat in the first nine months, down 8.6 percent from 1.01 billion kilos of the commodity last year, according to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).
Pork accounted for the bulk or 49.7 percent of imports for the period at 458.7 million kilos. This was also 15.9 percent lower than last year’s imports totaling 545.2 million kilos.
Chicken followed with 324.98 million kilos or 35 percent of all meat bought overseas during the period. This was 10.6 percent higher than in 2022 when only 293.86 million kilos were bought.
Beef imports total 106.68 million kilos or 11.6 percent of all meat imports. This was 20.8 percent lower than a year earlier when beef imports totaled 134.69 million kilos.
The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) said the Philippines imported 31.7 million kilo of buffalo meat, lower by 10 percent from last year’s 35.28 million kilos as turkey meat dipped 31 percent to 270,456 kilos from last year’s 392,151 kilos.
Lamb meat surged 18 percent to 642,883 kilos from the previous year’s 543,806 kilos while duck meat jumped 290 percent to 229,302 kilos this year from last year’s 58,782 kilos.
The Department of Agriculture’s Bantay Presyo monitoring of select markets in Metro Manila show the price of pork kasim ranging from P260 to P330 per kilo; pork liempo afrom P290 to P400 per kilo; whole dressed chicken from P150 to P200 per kilo; beef rump from P390 to P550 per kilo and beef brisket from P330 to P430 per kilo.
