In a recent development, Brazil has sealed a significant agreement aimed at bolstering pork exports to the Philippines, marking a milestone in the protein market. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock’s announcement on Tuesday revealed the Philippines’ recognition of system equivalence and the establishment of pre-listing for Brazilian animal proteins. This breakthrough, celebrated by exporters and the Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA), is poised to invigorate the flow of pork exports to the Philippines.
Under the agreement, all companies qualified by Brazil’s Federal Inspection System can apply for accreditation to export their products to the Philippine market. Unlike previous practices that involved individual qualifications and extensive documentary scrutiny by Philippine authorities, the focus will now shift towards validating the system rather than inspecting individual plants.
Ricardo Santin, president of ABPA, hailed the pre-listing as a significant milestone in bilateral relations, thanks to the concerted efforts of the Ministries of Agriculture and Foreign Affairs. He expressed optimism about the growth potential of the partnership between the two nations.
Statistics underscore the importance of this development: the Philippines ranks as the second-largest importer of Brazilian pork, with 25.7 thousand tons imported in the first two months of this year alone. Combined with chicken meat exports, which amounted to 37.4 thousand tons in the same period, the two proteins generated revenues exceeding US$80 million.
Luís Rua, ABPA’s markets director, highlighted the Philippines’ remarkable growth as a market for Brazilian pork, positioning it as one of the fastest-growing importers. This promising trend extends beyond pork to other products like turkey and duck meat.
In 2023, the Philippines emerged as a significant destination for Brazilian chicken and pork exports, further emphasizing the strategic importance of this market. Since its opening in the 2000s, the Philippines has imported substantial quantities of chicken and pork from Brazil, cementing a robust trade relationship between the two nations.
