Aussie lamb exports to RP seen to rise

Growing consumer preference for Australian lamb meat is expected to boost shipments of the product to the Philippines by about 30 percent this year.

Timothy Kelf, South Asia regional manager of Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), the largest umbrella organization of meat exporters in Canberra, noted that Filipino consumers are acquiring a taste for lamb and the trend will continue in the next few years as consumers look for healthier alternatives to chicken, pork and beef.

"Right now, our buyers are mostly institutional buyers from the food services sector such as five-star hotels, delis and restaurants, but over the last two years or so, lamb meat and meat products are finding their way into retailers as demand is increasing," Kelf said.

Kelf said that last year lamb meat from Australia to the Philippines totaled just 388 metric tons (MT) and this is seen to expand to 25 to 30 percent this year.

Australia is currently the largest exporter of lamb meat to the Philippines, cornering 90 percent of the domestic market.

Kelf said Australian meat exporters are in talks with domestic meat dealers such as Rustan’s Supermarket, PriceSmart, Monterey and Shopwise.

Recently, Kelf said Monterey, one of the biggest meat processing companies in the country, signed an agreement with MLA to use lamb as meat extender in its meat products.