Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said this is one of the “benefits” of the department’s decision to liberalize the trade of carabeef imported mostly from India.
“Bumaba ang presyo ng carabeef na ini-import sa India dahil sa desisyon nating magpapasok ng ibang supplier. Sa tingin ko, maaring gumanda ang presyo ng mga canned goods at mga processed meat products sa mga darating na araw,” said Alcala in a telephone interview Friday night.
Figures provided by the Agriculture showed that prior to allowing four more carabeef suppliers from India in January, meat processors imported carabeef at $2.90 per kilogram. Currently, Alcala said the average price of imported carabeef from India is at $2.70 per kilo.
“In a 40-footer container van of 28,000 kilograms, the price reduction [for carabeef imported from India] is $5,600 to $7,000 per container,” said Agriculture Assistant Secretary Davinio Catbagan in a text message.
Carabeef imported from India is one of the primary raw materials used in the manufacture of processed meat products such as corned beef or hotdogs.
Alcala disclosed that he has allowed representatives from the Philippine Association of Meat Processors of the Philippines Inc. (Pampi) to go to India and visit the plants of the new suppliers of carabeef.
“I approved the request because I have nothing to hide. They are free to inspect the plants,” said Alcala in the vernacular.
Catbagan said the group is requesting DA officials to join their inspection of the plants in India.
Agriculture officials issued the statement after Pampi, led by its president Felix O. Tiukinhoy Jr. raised questions on the accreditation process by which the department and its attached agencies selected the new Indian suppliers of buffalo meat.
Pampi said the “lack of transparency” of the approval process could trigger a new outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the Philippines.
“[We are] alarmed by Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala’s action because the questionable accreditation would jeopardize [our] import supply sourcing and worse, boomerang on us and put the integrity of [our] finished products at risks,” said Pampi in a statement.
Tiukinhoy noted the lack of transparency in the way Alcala, upon the recommendation of Bureau of Animal Industry Director Efren Nuestro and National Meat Inspection Service Executive Director Jane Bacayo, issued foreign meat establishment accreditation to new suppliers of carabeef from India this year.
The group asked the DA to explain how the department “approved in haste” the accreditation of four new Indian meat plants: Abbot Cold Storage, Al Quresh, Al Hamd Agro Food Product and MK Overseas Pvt. Ltd.
On Friday Pampi expressed its gratitude to Alcala for his concurrence to a suggested visit by the group to the newly-accredited meat plants in India.
“Pampi is the importing group of buffalo meat from India and requested the DA that an independent inspection by the processors’ group be coordinated in the interest of sanitary and phytosanitary concerns,” the group said in a statement.
(Jennifer A. Ng)
