July 16, 2010
Philippine meat producers hindered by export certification
Meat producers said they have enough supply to export processed products to the US and Europe, but are hampered by country certification on the Philippines.
Philippine Association of Meat Producers in the Philippines Inc. (Pampi) president Felix Tiukinhoy said the country has more than enough supply of chicken and pork meat that producers can readily export to big markets only if they have the necessary certification.
"Even if our processing plant is certified safe by the US, but the country is not, we still cannot export," said Tiukinhoy, chief executive of Cebu-based Virginia Foods Corp. He said the USAID once gave a grant to the Philippine government to help the country gain Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) clearances, but the money was diverted by the Department of Agriculture.
"We want to know where the money went as it was supposed to help our industry gain access to the US and European markets," Tukinhoy said. "Unless we can satisfy their requirements, we cannot export to these regions."
He said livestock-producing regions like the Visayas, General Santos City and Palawan have enough surplus for exports. The country is so far exporting processed meat products to Singapore and some to Japan, Tiukinhoy added.
He said only beef has limited supply in the country. Philippine beef processors usually import their meats from buffalo beef from India.
