Meat imports down in July, year to date

THE Philippines imported a total of 111.47 million kilograms (kg) of meat last month, data from the Department of Agriculture (DA) showed.

Based on the report from DA’s Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), the July import volume was 17.29 percent lower than the year-earlier 134.78 million kg.

It was also slightly lower, by 0.85 percent, from June 2023’s 112.4 million kg.

Year to date, the country’s meat imports totaled 702.2 million kg, 4.47 percent lower than the 734.92 million kg recorded in the same seven-month period in the previous year.

The BAI report said that July’s lower import volume was driven by tight supplies of beef, pork and turkey.

Pork accounted for 60.5 million kg or 54.28 percent of the total. The volume was 20.73 percent lower year on year.

The country also brought in about 12.03 million kg of beef, 30.15 percent lower on an annual basis and down by 3.43 percent month on month.

Chicken meat imports totaled 36.55 million kg, a slight increase of 0.93 percent from July last year.

Imported buffalo meat, at 2.26 million kg, was 53.71 percent lower than the previous year’s volume.

Duck meat imports were relatively minimal at 34,420 kg and were 22.88 percent higher year on year.

Imported turkey meat totaled just 1,500 kg for July month, 3.47 percent lower compared to a year earlier and down 93.48 percent from June.

Lamb meat imports, lastly, fell by an annual 45.35 percent to 62,993 kg.

The BAI said that Brazil was the country’s biggest supplier of meat, contributing 222.98 million kg or 31.75 percent of the year-to-date total.

The United States and Spain followed with 117.75 million kg and 91.10 million kg of meat, respectively.