AUSTRALIA is carving a huge chunk in the Asian and Philippine markets for its red meat, particularly beef and lamb, a livestock industry organization said late Wednesday.
Over the past five years, the number of active Australian meat importers has increased from five to over 50, said Paul Perez, country manager for Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).
“Supplier numbers are increasing on account of good consumer demand and there’s enough space for everyone,” he said, adding that local importers are reporting brisk business for Australian beef and lamb.
“As of the third quarter of 2014, the Philippines has imported 23,000 tons of beef and lamb from Australia,” Perez said.
Documents from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showed that beef imports grew 9.49 percent, to 33.29 million kilograms between January and June last year from 30.4 million kg in the same period in the previous year.
The growing demand is particularly notable on beef cuts and offal, especially among meat processors and institutional buyers that include hotels and restaurants, as well as meat sections of shopping malls and supermarkets.
BAI said beef cuts, largely coming from Australia and New Zealand, swelled to 30.9 percent to 20.9 million kg, while offal increased 22.14 percent to 4.48 million kg.
“As in the past, Australia remained the Philippines’s beef supplier, delivering 14.69 million kg this year, representing 44.15 percent of total beef shipments. New Zealand came in second with total deliveries registering 8.36 million kg, while the United States came in third with 6.5 million kg. It was followed by Brazil with 3.01 million kg and the Netherlands with 511,292 kg,” the agency also said.
Asked on the comparative competitiveness of Australian meat with its counterparts in the Americas particularly the US and Brazil, Perez told the BusinessMirror that “more than the quality of Australian meat owing to its quality grazing areas,” the proximity of Australia to Asia and the Philippines is fast becoming a major consideration.
He said, for instance, that because of the continuing problem on port congestion in the Philippines, meat importers are starting to rely on air shipments, “to ensure the arrival of their needed products in the country,” in time.
Direct flights to the country from Australia are between seven hours and nine hours, depending on the area in Australia. Perez added that air shipments from Brazil and the US would be much costlier.
A livestock producer-owned company providing marketing and research and development services to thousands of beef and lamb producers in Australia, MLA has recently organized a three-day Banquet Innovation Workshop, attended by chefs from top local hotels, restaurants and catering suppliers.
Facilitated by David Carew, a food industry veteran based in Singapore, the workshops aim to further bridge Australian meat to Filipino consumers, by connecting to the Filipino diners.
“Diners in Asia have access all the latest information and they apply it in dining,” Carew said, adding that information that only chefs or producers would know in the past are now easily searchable on the Internet, and to cater to this type of customer, restaurants need to offer more than just a well-plated meat, “they have to capture the curiosity and interest of the diners, as well.”
Australian Wagyu is seen as one of the bright spots for Australian beef in the upscale dining market. Australian Wagyu consists of high levels of fine white flecks of fat that weave throughout the textured meat. This effect is called known as “marbling,” which makes the meat extremely tender and gives it a deliciously sweet taste.
Wagyu cattle has been meticulously raised in Australia for decades from original Japanese breeds. Australia, having more sprawl, offers a natural space for breeding. The cattle is kept in feedlots from between 300 days and 600 days to create a higher amount of marbling. The higher the amount of marbling throughout the meat, the higher its overall. It takes significantly more time and effort to produce Australian Wagyu, commanding premium price in the market.
Marbling was described as “melt-in-your-mouth” experience. Australian Wagyu is no longer a delicacy but a growing popularity among consumers.
Early this month, Ministers from China and Australia signed a Declaration of Intent, which will see the scrapping of tariffs on Australian dairy products, beef and cattle, among others. The agreement will be signed in 2015 after the draft is translated and legally reviewed.
Aside from the members of the Asean, Australia has been targeting the lucrative Chinese market.