The country’s dressed-chicken inventory as of February 20 declined by 40.83 percent to 14,384.64 metric tons (MT), from last year’s 24,314.63 MT, the latest data from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) showed.
Data from the NMIS indicated that the latest chicken inventory was lower compared to the levels recorded last month and the previous week by 6.02 percent and 22.18 percent, respectively.
The bulk of the dressed-chicken inventory, or 53.06 percent, came from local producers. Locally produced dressed chicken as of February 20 declined by more than half to 7,632.66 MT, from 13,241.54 MT recorded in the same period last year.
Among all the regions in the country, Region 3 or Central Luzon recorded the highest inventory of local chicken at 3,992.89 MT, followed by the National Capital Region (NCR) with 1,352.6 MT.
Imported dressed chicken in the country’s cold storages as of February 20 reached 6,751.98 MT, 39.02 percent lower than the 11,073.09 MT recorded a year ago.
The NMIS, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, said the figures did not include fresh, chilled chicken and mechanically deboned meat, as well as those already in distribution channels. The agency also said the survey covered only accredited cold-storage facilities.
Data from the NMIS also showed that frozen-pork inventory as of February 20 rose by 32.57 percent to 22,158.02 MT, from 16,714.14 MT recorded in the same period last year.
Of the inventory during the period, the bulk consisted of imports at 21,024.58 MT. Locally produced pork in cold storages reached only 1,133.44 MT, according to NMIS data.
Region 4A had the highest frozen-pork inventory at 8,888.40 MT, of which 8,032.78 MT were imported, figures from the NMIS showed.
Region 3 had the second-highest frozen-pork inventory at 7,678.71 MT, of which 7,662.73 MT were imports.
However, the country’s frozen-pork inventory as of February 20 was 8.63 percent, and 14.28 percent lower than the previous week’s and last month’s inventory, respectively.
The NMIS said the frozen-pork inventory included carcass, primal and specialty cuts. The survey covered accredited commercial and in-house cold-storage facilities.
Filipino traders are allowed to purchase pork and chicken from abroad, and they usually do so via the minimum access volume (MAV) scheme of the World Trade Organization. Pork and chicken imported through the MAV scheme are slapped with lower tariffs.