DA: Local poultry production sufficient

Department of Agriculture Sec. William Dar with PDI Editorial and staff, December 2, 2019. INQUIRER PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Agriculture on Saturday assured the public that there is enough local poultry production that can satisfy national demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement, the DA said it has observed that even though there was a decline in the importation of imported poultry meat and poultry products, the local production was enough for the country’s consumption.

The Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) reported that there was a 23 percent decline in the importation of meat imports, going down to 33,000 metric tons in May 2020 from 43,000 metric tons in January.

“It is the department’s commitment to raise the productivity of the country’s poultry sector. I have always emphasized our goal to increase local food production, poultry included. We will, in every step of the way, assist our local raisers in whatever way we can,” said Agriculture Secretary William Dar.

Around 70 percent of total imports are composed of mechanically deboned meat (MDM), fats, offals, and rinds that are used in industry processing and are used as raw materials that aren’t available locally.

Dar said that these products are not sold in wet markets where local producers bring in their fresh products.

He added that the DA will implement a national livestock program (NLP), a multi-million peso package to support the recovery of the country’s livestock and poultry industry, under the umbrella of “Plant, plant, plant.”

BAI Director Ronnie Domingo said the COVID-19 related lockdown affected the country’s socio-economic activities with most of the populace staying at home, which in turn resulted in a decreased demand of poultry products that created an oversupply.

“The lockdown has created tremendous trade limitations among producers, retailers, and consumers. There were partial operation or full closure of local businesses, causing loss of income of consumers,” Domingo said.

“Hence, we immediately looked into addressing the surplus in poultry supply. Related to this situation, the DA’s National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) reported that aside from accredited cold storage facilities, excess meat is being stored in plug-in refrigerated vans which can be considered as food safety risk,” Domingo said.

Dar said that the DA is already looking to secure cold storage facilities to prevent excess meat to be stored in un-accredited systems.