The country’s meat imports this year would hit another record high due to the sustained increase in the demand for processed-meat products, according to the Meat Importers and Traders Association (Mita).
Data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) obtained by the BusinessMirror showed that meat imports from January to September this year reached 510,777.572 metric ton, 7.72 percent higher than the 474,163.290 MT recorded last year.
The figure is just 135,726.128 MT short of the record-high 646,503.7 MT purchased by importers last year. MITA President Jesus C. Cham said imports in the October-to-December period would likely exceed 135,726.128 MT. “Demand from consumers continues to grow. In the fourth quarter, there’s strong demand from processors for mechanically deboned meat (MDM), bacon, and boneless pork for their hams,” Cham said in an interview on Monday.
The Mita chief noted that the increase in the purchasing power of Filipinos helped boost meat imports, such as MDM and offal, in January to September.
Data from the BAI showed that the bulk of meat imports during the nine-month period were pork, which accounted for 44.05 percent of the total volume. Pork imports reached 225,004.56 MT, 9.92 percent higher than last year’s record.
Poultry-meat imports rose 8.16 percent to 182,517.88 MT, from last year’s 168,750.8 MT, according to data from the BAI. “Imports of leg quarter during the period declined because our local production expanded. However, purchases of MDM grew because of the increasing demand for it,” Cham said.
MDM imports during the nine-month period expanded by 11.44 percent to 139,054.429 MT, from 124,778.821 MT recorded in the same period last year. Imports of MDM abroad accounted for nearly 77 percent of the country’s chicken-meat imports from January to September.
Beef imports also posted a double-digit growth, expanding by 11.62 percent to 76,094.678 MT, from last year’s 68,173.319 MT.
Cham said the increase in beef imports could be attributed to the expansion of the fast-food sector and the increasing popularity of choice beef cuts served by high-end restaurants.
Data from the BAI also showed that purchases of imported buffalo meat and lamb from January to September recorded declines.
Buffalo-meat imports slid to 24,833.204 MT, from last year’s 28,879.850 MT, while lamb-meat imports fell by 10.28 percent to 532.353 MT during the period. Duck-meat imports also declined by 17.7 percent to 127.03 MT, from 154.36 MT recorded a year ago.