The Philippine Meat Importers and Traders Association (MITA) has expressed concern over the recent slowdown in meat imports, particularly in the final month of the first half of the year. MITA President Emeritus, Jesus C. Cham, emphasizes the uncertainty regarding the continuation of strong meat imports for the rest of the year. Despite the impressive 12% growth in meat imports during the first six months, reaching 872,000 metric tons (MT), the import volume experienced a decline in June, only managing 20,000 MT.
Cham attributes the slowdown to the weak Philippine peso and elevated logistics costs. He also notes that port congestion is another potential factor. "We are navigating uncharted waters with the low foreign exchange rate and high energy and petrol costs," said Cham.
Pork accounted for 52.2% of the shipments, growing by 11% during the half. Meanwhile, poultry imports expanded by 33.4%, mainly driven by the mechanically deboned meat segment. Beef imports rose 11%, and buffalo meat increased by 3.2%.
The Bureau of Animal Industry reports that Brazil was the top meat supplier to the Philippines, delivering 429,691 MT.
