New export markets eyed for livestock

MANILA, Philippines - New overseas markets for livestock and poultry products are being developed to make the industry competitive with other Southeast Asian nations when regional free trade commences in 2015.

Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) director Rubina Cresencio said negotiations are ongoing for the exportation of livestock and poultry products to Papua New Guinea, China, South Korea, Hong Kong and Indonesia.

The Philippines also wants to continuously supply poultry products to Japan, which is already importing yakitori nuggets from the Philippines.

China and Indonesia are interested in importing beef, while Papua New Guinea wants to buy processed meat and pork cuts.

South Korea and Hong Kong, meanwhile, wants poultry supply from the Philippines.

“We constantly keep in touch with these countries to find out their health protocol and requirements. We are going to conduct a government- to- government collaboration to find out their requirement and protocol, and later on proceed to a business- to- business transaction,” said Cresencio.

Crecencio  said  the Philippine livestock sector  faces tough competition with Thailand and Vietnam but can win new markets now because it has no recent record of Avian Influenza and foot-and-mouth disease unlike the two countries.

“We (The Philippines) are AI (avian influenza) free, FMD (foot and mouth disease) free, we have greater chances to access to the countries we want to tap,” she said.

The Philippines was among the few countries certified as bird flu and foot and mouth disease-free by the World Organization for Animal Health last year.  

“The certification system that we have is very credible,” she said.

Thailand was hit by a severe outbreak of bird flu last year but has been free from avian flu since the beginning of 2013.

“Based on our assessment, when AFTA (ASEAN Free Trade Agreement) takes effect, we need to compete with Thailand, they are big poultry producers and also AI free. Meanwhile, for pork, Vietnam is very aggressive,” she said.

The poultry subsector, which comprised 14.3 percent of the full year farm output in 2012, registered a 4.5-percent growth, grossing at P167.1 billion.

Chicken production grew by 4.6 percent and egg by 4.4 percent, respectively while duck meat and egg production rose by two percent and 5.5 percent, respectively.

Livestock production, on the other hand, which made up 16 percent of the 2012 farm output, grew by 1.1 percent, grossing at P214.3 billion.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala earlier said the government would develop the exportation capability of the livestock and poultry sectors to make the sector competitive with neighboring Southeast Asian countries.

He said opportunities are ripe for the exportation of dressed chicken and duck.

The government intends to complete this year the construction of two export-oriented slaughterhouses in Luzon.

Around 18 AA slaughterhouses, meanwhile, were constructed in various provinces last year.