REFLECTING a narrow production growth for livestock in the first half of the year with 0.94 percent, meat processors brought in raw materials pushing the country’s meat imports for the first half of the year with 256.4 million kilograms, based on the latest available data from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and its attached agency, the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).
Compared with its year-ago level of 234.3 million kg, the country’s meat imports grew by 9.4 percent for the first semester of the year.
Earlier, the DA said livestock’s share with the total agricultural output for the first semester of the year was 15.39 percent, with hog and dairy recorded higher output increments during the period.
Gross earnings of the subsector fared better, with P118.9 billion at current prices, which represent a 6.33-percent increase from its year-ago performance, according to the agriculture department.
The country imported most of its meat from the United Kingdom this year, with 62.5 million kilograms, or 25 percent, of the entire volume that arrived from January to June this year, displacing the United States, which topped meat shipments to the country last year. Germany followed with 31.8 million kg, and Australia came in third with deliveries reaching 26 million kg. According to the BAI data, pork was the biggest meat-commodity item imported during the six-month period, with total volumes reaching 115.99 million kg, or 45.23 percent, of all meat deliveries. It was followed by chicken meat, with 78 63.3 million kg, in total shipments and at third place was beef with 38.7 million kg. Import of buffalo meat reached 20.2 million kg and turkey meat at 3 million kg. The country also imported lamb and duck meat, although their volumes are not very significant.