“Poultry consumption in the Philippines has been increasing because more and more Filipinos have come to realize that poultry products like chicken and turkey make good alternatives to pork,” said USPEEC president James Sumner.

Poultry products, he said, are rich in protein and low in fat.

USPEEC regional director Margaret Sy said about 20,000 metric tons of US poultry products enter the Philippine market annually.

Sumner said 30 percent of poultry products in the country are consumed by food processing industries while the rest goes to the food and retail service sectors.

He said chicken leg quarters are among the popular export products in the country.

Sumner, meanwhile, said that while the Philippines continues to be a significant market for the US, the number of US poultry products is still limited due to the Minimum Access Volume (MAV) imposed by the country’s agriculture sector. MAV limits the amount of imported poultry products.

Top export markets for US poultry products are Russia, which accounts for almost 40 percent, and China, with about 25 percent. The rest goes to Mexico, Canada, and Singapore, he said.

“We hope to continue getting a good market for US poultry products here,” he told Sun.Star Cebu during the Trade Reception held at the Ocean Pavillion of Shangri-la’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa last Wednesday.

Source: Sun Star