The Philippines may be a step closer to penetrating the Singaporean market for its agricultural products, including meat and fruits, as technical teams from Singapore are currently in the country to inspect farms.
Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said Singapore’s Agriculture and veterinary Agency (AVA) sent two technical teams to the Philippines to conduct the on-site inspection of farms producing vegetables, fruits, hogs, poultry and eggs nationwide. The two teams will conduct the inspection for 10 days.
“The inspection of the Philippine farms is the first step in the planned importation by Singapore of several agricultural commodities from the Philippines,” Piñol said in a post in his official Facebook page on Tuesday.
Among the commodities that the Philippines plan to export to Singapore include high-value crops, pork and processed products, dressed chicken and table eggs, and seafood, such as white shrimps, he added.
Some of the facilities that the AVA teams will inspect are Pilmico Layer Farm in Tarlac; Robina Farm No. 23 in Naic, Cavite; Novo-Agri Inc., an egg-processor in Batangas; Ana’s Breeder Farms in Davao City.
The AVA inspection teams would also evaluate Batangas-based egg layer farm Gemsun Marketing, Matutum Meat Packing Corp. in General Santos City, and other farms, as well as government quarantine and sanitary facilities, according to Piñol.
“Next month, the DA will hold a Philippine Agri-Aqua Food Show in Singapore to showcase the best products that the country could offer to the huge market dependent on imported products,” he said. “In May, a Singapore delegation is expected to visit the country to formalize the start of the export of the commodities by the Philippines.”
The Philippines’s interest in exporting farm products to Singapore was driven by the pronouncement of Malaysia last year that it would cut its shipments of poultry products, including eggs, to its neighbor.
“Last year, following reports that Malaysia was scaling down its exports of poultry and eggs to Singapore, the Department of Agriculture immediately reached out to the then Ambassador of Singapore to the Philippines, Kok Li Peng, to make a formal offer to supply the rich state’s food requirements,” Piñol said.