April 19, 2004

Philippines To Move Into Live Hog Exports
 

The Philippines intends to take advantage of its close proximity to global pork markets to become a leading pork exporter. The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) has listed an initial 14 companies that may soon export live hog and other pork products to potential export markets in Japan, United States, Russia, and the European Union.

The Philippines is geographically close to top global pork importers, particularly Japan, which is the world's leading pork importer buying 1.15 million metric tons of pigmeat in 2003. Other prospective export markets in Asia are Hongkong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore.

With other potential market for pork, several local companies are already institutionalizing their integration of production, slaughter, specialized cuts of hogs for table grade pork and for manufacturing cuts.

The partial list of export establishments for accreditation are Foremost/Progressive Farms, Cecilia Farms, Pacific Quest Farm, and Biotech Farm. For accreditation as hog processing plants are Nenita Quality Foods, Mother Earth, TLC Beatrice Cagayan, Liza's Meat, Victoria's, and Passi Nueva Swine. The laboratories for accreditation are South East Asia Laboratory in Alabang, Universal Robina Corp. Laboratory, and Monterey.

The Philippines has already been exporting pork in the form of processed meat totalling to a minimal 105.69 MT as of 2002 which even dropped to 34.16 MT in 2003. The processed products include luncheon meat, pork and beans, lechon paksiw, pork adobo, sizzling delight sisig, chili con carne, bistic tagalog, and spam.

Zarit exported to Bahrain; PurefoodsHormel to the US, Bahrain, Vietnam; Eldon, Hongkong, Australia; Piling-Piling Pinoy, Japan and Hongkong; Foodsphere, Saudi Arabia; Pacific Meat, Japan and United Arab Emirates (UAE); Century Canning Corp., Saudi Arabia and UAE; and Golden Ribbon, Australia.

However, to be able to export live hog, frozen meat or other pork products, the country needs to put in place a disease surveillance system and a meat inspection system for exporters which is why Congress has also passed in March the National Meat Inspection Code. Meat establishments also need accreditation for food safety certifications Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).