The country’s pork inventory in January rose by 68.2 percent to 23,239.01 metric tons, from 13,815.59 MT a year ago, according to the latest data from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS).
Figures from the attached agency of the Department of Agriculture showed that the bulk, or nearly 95 percent of the January pork inventory consisted of imports. The volume of imported pork in cold storages reached 22,003.65 MT, higher than the previous year’s 12,291.35 MT.
Of the total pork inventory, some 8,000 MT were stored in Region 3. The National Capital Region and Region 4 A accounted for 6,400 MT and 5,450 MT, respectively.
Compared to the inventory in December, NMIS data showed pork in local cold storages during the period was lower by some 4,000 MT.
The agency said its survey covered pork in accredited commercial and in-house cold storages, or those found in slaughterhouses and meat processing plants. It also included carcass, primal parts and specialty cuts.
Data from the NMIS also indicated that the January chicken inventory rose by almost 4 percent to 17,242.22 MT, from 16,586.09 MT a year ago.
Of the total chicken inventory, local poultry accounted for the bulk at 10,573.95 MT. Imports in cold storages reached 6,668.27 MT.
Last year imports in cold storages amounted to 9,027.04 MT, higher than the inventory of local poultry at 7,559.05 MT, according to NMIS data.
The agency said its survey covered only accredited facilities. It did not include fresh-chilled chicken and mechanically deboned meat and those already in distribution channels.
The government allows traders to import pork and chicken via the so-called minimum access volume scheme of the World Trade Organization. Pork and chicken imports within MAV are slapped a tariff of 30 percent and 40 percent, respectively.
Last year meat imports rose by nearly 7 percent to a record-high volume of 691,462.564 MT due to the growing demand of Filipino consumers for processed-meat products.
Data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) indicated that pork accounted for 44.18 percent of meat imports. Last year pork imports expanded by 10.65 percent to 305,479.806 MT, from the 2016 record of 276,066.99 MT.
“Pork cuts, bellies and deboned meat constituted about 30.19 percent or [92,234.802 MT], which are mostly used by meat processors, while the 69.81 percent equivalent [213,245.044 MT] are commonly imported by meat traders, which includes fats, rind/skin and other products,” the BAI said.
Data from the BAI also showed that total chicken imports last year grew by nearly 4 percent to 244,104.419 MT, from the previous year’s 234,742.766 MT.