DA Secretary Arthur Yap said that besides frozen meat, the department sees eight processed meat items to start penetrating the global market this year as the country moves closer to being declared totally free of the dreaded foot-and-mouth disease by the Animal Health Organisation. These processed meat items include luncheon meat, spam, pork and beans, lechon paksiw, pork adobo, sisig, chili con carne and bistik tagalong.

"Singapore is willing to accept Philippine exports of fresh, frozen meat subject to certain conditions, which are being work out," Yap said. "We are looking at Japan, which is the world's top meat importer, as another major market for our meat exports."

Yap said the DA is eyeing the market in Japan, which imported a total of 1.32 million metric tons of meat in 2005, for the Philippines' value-added products such as freeze-dried and ready-to-cook meat items, the press release added.

Besides Japan and Singapore, the DA will also help meat exporters break into the lucrative markets of the United States, Russia, Mexico, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and the European Union.

From 1.840 million MT in 2006, the DA projects hog production to reach 1.905 million MT this year, representing a 3.5 percent jump.

Source: The Visayan Daily Star