US hopes to ship more poultry products to Philippines

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American poultry exporters hope to reverse the contraction in their shipments to the Philippines this year, banking on the country's growing demand for meat products for retail and processing use.

The US saw a slight dip in its broiler exports to the Philippines in the first half of the year, with volume settling at 70,970.6 metric tons (MT) compared to last year's 71,609.2 MT.

The USA Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) attributed the drop to lower available supplies. US domestic production has been challenged by avian influenza and a shift toward dark meat demand.

In recent years, the supply of US chicken leg quarters, which is usually exported to other markets, has been limited as consumers in the US started to consume more dark meat, according to USAPEEC.

'We are hoping that there will be a reversal (in exports) to the Philippines (this year),' USAPEEC president and CEO Greg Tyler said.

'The Philippines is such an important market for our industry, and we work closely with the meat processing sector,' Tyler added.

Based on USDA data, the US exported 172,296.2 MT of broiler meat to the Philippines in 2023, eight percent lower than the previous year's 187,190.5 MT.

In the first half of the year, the Philippines was the US' sixth largest market globally and the biggest in Southeast Asia for broiler meat products.

USAPEEC noted a growing demand for chicken meat products from the country's food service industry and retail consumers who prefer chicken over pork due to price concerns.

Likewise, demand for certain poultry products like mechanically deboned meat remains strong as it is a widely used raw material by domestic meat processors in manufacturing hotdogs and meatloaf, among others.

Furthermore, USAPEEC expects a growing market for egg products in the Philippines, with the country becoming the US' third-largest market in the first five months of the year. According to the group, the US more than tripled its exports of egg products to the Philippines to $1.634 million from January to May compared to $509,000 a year ago.

The egg products exported to the Philippines are usually in liquid or powder form, making it a viable raw material for further processing into products like mayonnaise and other bakery items, Tyler said.