Philippines: Rapid increase in pork imports

The loss of more than 3 million domestic pigs to African swine fever (ASF) boosted pork imports in the Philippines in the first half of 2021. As the umbrella association of the Danish agricultural and food industry (L&F) recently reported, imports, including by-products, increased by a good 178,000 t to 239,000 t compared to the first half of 2020, quadrupling. According to estimates by the American Department of Agriculture (USDA), the purchase is likely to rise to 425,000 t by the end of the year, making the island nation the sixth largest pork importer worldwide. Due to the loss of production as a result of the animal disease, the government in Manila has lowered import duties in order to curb inflation. Even if, according to the government, the ASP is slowly being brought under control, this year's pig production of around 1 million t is likely to be around 40% below the level before the outbreak of the animal disease in mid-2019. Canada, Spain and USA largest importers One of ...