September 29, 2004

 

 

Philippines Seizes Chance To Export Chicken As Bird Flu Hits Asia

 

The resurgence of bird flu in parts of Asia has given Philippine chicken growers a chance to export their products.

Since there are no reports of bird flu in the Philippines, "we are now able to export our chicken to Japan," said National Meat Inspection Commission Director Dr. Romeo Capa.

 

San Miguel Foods Inc.'s Magnolia Poultry Processing Plant as well as Swift Foods Inc. are among these exporters.

Recent outbreaks of bird flu have been discovered in China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Capa assured that measures were in place to ensure bird flu did not enter the Philippines. They include the standing ban issued by then agriculture secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr. on the import of bird and chicken products from places where there is an outbreak of the disease.

 

Swift Foods Inc. production manager for Cebu Armand Benabaye confirmed that its Cagayan de Oro plant had been exporting chicken to Japan since around June.

 

He said the Japanese liked "black meat" or the area around the thighs and legs of chicken, which is processed into filleted cubes and skewered into small sticks without the fat and skin.

 

Swift Foods does not import live chickens because it has breeder farms for laying eggs, built from grandparent stocks, in Ormoc, Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro.

 

Its broiler farms, where the chicks are grown to sizes of 1.5 kilograms before they are slaughtered, are found in Cebu, with contract growers from as far as Carcar in the south to Carmen in the north.

 

Last March, San Miguel Corp. reportedly signed a deal with Japanese meat-packing company Yonekyu Corp. to export 28 metric tons of deboned cut-up chicken parts after Japan's traditional suppliers-China and Thailand-were hit by the avian influenza.

 

Last July, Reginald Baylosis, head of marketing for Purefoods-Hormel, the processed meats business of SMC's food group, San Miguel Purefoods Co. Inc., stated that the company was considering exporting its canned Chicken Chunks to the Middle East because of the large presence of Filipino workers as well as non-beef and pork eaters there.

 

Vitarich Corp. Cebu vice president for operations Boy Niralles said Vitarich is currently not exporting as it is focused on serving the local market.