Meat imports rise 33% in two months

The country's meat imports in the first two months rose by a third on an annual basis to over 230,000 metric tons (MT), driven by higher purchases abroad of pork and chicken meat, government data showed.

- JASPER EMMANUEL ARCALAS

Latest Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) data showed that meat imports from January to February reached 237,681 MT, over 33 percent higher than the 177,819 MT recorded in the same period last year.

Pork imports, which accounted for half of the total meat import volume, expanded by 48 percent year-on-year to 124,047 MT from 81,602 MT, based on BAI data.

The country's purchases abroad of pork cuts reached nearly 44,000 MT while imports of pork bellies hit 20,302 MT. The country also imported almost 45,000 MT of pork offals and 9,479 MT of pork fats during the two-month period.