Philippines wants to increase pork imports by 200%

In the Philippines, the pig price has risen sharply recently due to a small domestic supply. The country plans to increase pork imports. In fact, according to analysts, the Philippines could become one of the main Asian pork importers.

ASF has been prevalent in the Philippines since July 2019 and has significantly reduced the domestic pig population there. For a while the number of outbreaks seemed to decrease, but this soon turned out not to be the case. Recently, new infections have been reported and the virus has also spread to new areas in the country.

Illegal transports
In total, there are currently about 300 active outbreaks in 27 different areas. More than 340.000 pigs have been culled. According to government estimates, pork production has fallen by about 20%. Many of the recent ASF outbreaks in the country are most likely a result of illegal shipments. Because the domestic supply of pork is so limited, prices have risen sharply in recent times. The pork price is currently twice as high as last year.

Growing need for imports
Currently, the Philippines is the 7^e largest pork importer worldwide. The country mainly imports meat from Canada, the United States, France, the Netherlands and Spain. But because the domestic supply is so limited, the Southeast Asian country plans to import more pork. Pork imports are expected to triple.

Analysts expect the Philippines to become one of the top pork importers in Asia. At the moment, Chinese and Vietnamese pork imports are still significantly higher than the Philippine, but China and Vietnam are currently busy recovering the domestic pig herd. When they have the domestic pork production back up to standard, the import requirement will naturally decrease.

Chanti Oussoren

Editor at Boerenbusiness who studies the dairy, pig (meat) and feed markets.

c.oussoren@boerenbusiness. Nl

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