November 3, 2010

Philippine island to seek more meat processors

Mindanao's agriculture and development officials will work to convince more meat processors to locate in the island to help develop the local sector.

This is in preparation of the island's meat industry to capitalise on the eventual resumption of pork exports to Singapore, which was aborted by the government in December 2008 after the detection of the Ebola Reston virus in a hog farm in Luzon.

Rafael T. Mercado, who heads the regional livestock division of the Agriculture department, said in a recent interview that his office will submit a proposal to the head office in Manila on this matter. "The department is open to talk with stakeholders on how to improve the industry," he said, adding that the proposal includes the identification of more foreign markets beyond Singapore like Italy.

The Philippines' meat industry had banked on the Singapore deal, which was bagged by South Cotabato-based Matutum Meat Packing Corp., to open the doors of other foreign markets with quality standards as stringent as those of the Southeast Asian neighbour.