Meat importers say foreign exchange losses and ongoing port congestion are major challenges this year, prompting calls for government action to prevent supply disruptions and price pressures.

Improved national infrastructure and enabling policies, supported by digital banking, can help speed up access to financing for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), Maya Bank president Angelo Madrid said at the Money20/20 Philippines Summit.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is stepping up efforts to boost exports of other high-value food crops by replicating the strategies that helped revive the country’s banana industry, which posted strong export growth last year.