Malcolm Leoi, Market Specialist South East Asia, Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board
Philippine meat imports in 2019
Total Philippine meat imports in 2019 were largely stable at 846,756 MT although pork and beef have fared divergently—beef imports rose 15 per cent while pork imports fell 14 per cent. With up to 75 per cent of global pork output under threat from African Swine Fever (ASF), relentless price inflation has priced many Philippine buyers out of the market. Data from previous years further highlights this trend: 2018 pork imports grew 28 per cent year-on-year before the onset of ASF.
Despite these headwinds, Irish meat exports to the Philippines have proven remarkably resilient, rising in value by 8 per cent in a lackluster market to a current volume share of 3 per cent.
Philippines as major growth driver for Irish exports to Southeast Asia
Overall Irish food and drink exports to the Philippines in 2019 totaled €76.9 million, an increase of 29 per cent from 2018, driven largely by meat (+27 per cent) and dairy (+40 per cent). The country is the third-largest Asian importer of Irish food and drink by value, after mainland China and Japan.
Southeast Asia imported €47.6 million of beef and beef offal and €8.5 million of pigmeat from Ireland in 2019. Although market access is an ongoing challenge across the region, market access for Irish pork and beef allows the Philippines to remain the largest importer in the Southeast Asia for these categories, accounting for €50.5 million or 90 per cent. In 2019, the country also maintained its position as the second-largest buyer of Irish beef and beef offal outside continental Europe, behind only mainland China. Exports from these categories to the Philippines totaled €42.8 million in 2019, a rise of 35 per cent from the year before.
EU Pork and Beef Programme 2019-2021
In recognition of the Philippine market’s strategic importance for Irish meat exports, Bord Bia initiated in 2019 a three-year EU co-funded pork and beef promotion programme worth €3.95 million. Marketed under the slogan “Enjoy, it’s from Europe”, the programme highlights Ireland’s world-class food production systems under EU safety and sustainability standards and targets opinion leaders across industry, media and government in the Philippine, Vietnamese and South Korean markets. Key 2020 events include the following:
- Food and Hotel Hanoi trade show in Hanoi, Vietnam – 28-30 November
- Seoul Food trade show in Seoul, South Korea – 19-22 May
- World Food Expo (WOFEX) trade show in Manila, Philippines – 5-8 August
- Annual technical seminars in each market
- Annual buyer visits to Ireland from each market
In addition to the EU programme events, a DAFM agri-food trade mission to the Philippines and Vietnam focused on opportunities for Irish meat and dairy is planned for November 2020.
For more information on market opportunities or promotional events in Southeast Asia, please contact Malcolm Leoi, Bord Bia Southeast Asia Market Specialist in Singapore.