May 5, 2011

Philippines turns to Malaysia for pork exports

The Philippines has turned to Malaysia for pork trade after stalled negotiations with Singapore, the Agriculture Department said on Tuesday (May 3).

"Malaysia has expressed interest to buy pork from us. There is a Malaysian company that is willing to import as much as 1,000 swine heads weekly," Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said, adding that negotiations for a possible supply agreement started last week.

The Malaysian company, which has a Filipino partner, said that several high-end restaurants in Malaysia that cater to tourists had requested for pork imports.

Alcala said initial negotiations were promising and that shipments could start in 60 days if the agreement was signed.

The Philippines has expressed confidence in exporting pork after receiving assurance from the Office International des Epizooties that it would soon get the foot-and-mouth disease-free certificate from the international agency. An agreement with Malaysia will mark the first time that the Philippines will export pork to other countries.

Alcala did not explain why negotiations with Singapore bogged down.

Alcala, meanwhile, said the Philippines was looking at developing the local duck industry to provide diners an alternative to the expensive, imported Peking duck as well as to export the fowl.

He said Japan was a potential customer. Japan recently expressed interest to expand the coverage of food imports to include other vegetables and exotic fruits.

Alcala said the development of the local duck industry might help put a stop in the smuggling of Peking duck specialty dish.