February 15, 2007

 

Mindanao companies to lead efforts to start meat exportation

 

 

Two meat processing facilities in Mindanao are gearing up to jump- start the country's first export bid of fresh meat by midyear.

 

Davao-based Nenita Quality Food Corporation and Matutum Meat Packing Corporation in Polomolok, South Cotabato are gearing to export fresh frozen cut-up pork products to Singapore starting July, said Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.

 

Yap said the initial batch of order from July to yearend has been estimated by the two firms to total 200 tonnes, equivalent to 10 container vans weighing 20 tonnes each.

 

Yap added that the country is also targeting the markets of Japan and South Korea.

 

According to Florence Silvano, Bureau of Animal Industry's (BAI) director for quarantine division, representatives of the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) of Singapore visited Mindanao last year and found the region a satisfactory source of meat.

 

BAI is in the process of complying with the requirements of the Singaporean agency, said Silvano.

 

AVA's web site said potential sources are evaluated on several criteria, including: the setup and organizational structure of the veterinary services; the animal and poultry disease situations, as well as national programs - including legislation - for disease prevention and control; legislation governing slaughterhouses, meat and egg processing establishments, meat inspection system, storage, handling and distribution of products; licensing authority and licensing system regulating export abattoirs, meat and egg processing establishments; as well as national microbiological and residue control programs.

 

A successful bid to export to Singapore, which enforces strict standards, should strengthen the Philippines' bid to export to Korea and Japan which have their own exacting regulations, Silvano said.

 

The Office International des Epizooties (OIE), the world organization for animal health, had confirmed Mindanao as free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) since 2001, as well as those of the Visayas, Palawan and Masbate the following year, noted Silvano.

 

The OIE's recognition should enhance the country's chances of penetrating wider markets, she added.

 

The region of Luzon has been declared FMD-free locally, but has yet to get the recognition of the OIE.