HIGHER demand, as well as competitive pricing, will make the Philippines import more poultry meat and other products in 2025, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said.
The latest report of the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Services (FAS) showed the Philippines’ chicken meat imports are likely to rise to 480,000 metric tons (MT), compared to 2024’s projected volume of 470,000 MT.
“The price competitiveness of imported chicken products vis-à-vis domestically produced ones remains very attractive, especially for food service and institutional buyers seeking to maintain specific price points,” the USDA noted.
The agency added that Executive Order 62 — which modifies the import duty rates of various commodities — will augment the local supply of agricultural commodities, such as chicken meat, to help meet strong market demand over the medium-term.
The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) has likewise lifted the bird flu temporary bans on domestic and wild birds and their products, including poultry meat, day-old chicks, eggs, and semen from the US except those from Michigan and Minnesota.
“Despite high operating costs, primarily due to high domestic corn prices, the chicken meat sector rapidly expanded in the first and second quarters of 2024,” the USDA said.
The FAS in Manila said it is anticipating the growth to generate positive momentum for 2025. The recent decline in imported soybean meal prices, another major component of the broiler feed ration, will carry into 2025 and help offset some of the corn cost in the ration overall.
The agency has revised its production estimate this year to 1.57 million MT of ready-to-cook chicken, as the remaining areas with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the Philippines has decreased.
“Improvements in biosecurity practices among some broiler operators also contribute to higher production for 2024,” the USDA said. However, it noted that challenges, such as the tight supply of day-old-chicks, will temper the growth of chicken meat production.
Chicken meat consumption is projected to slightly increase to 2.11 million MT from 2.0 million MT due to economic and population growth, slower inflation, and the prevalence of African swine fever.
The expansion of the food service sector will add up to the demand for chicken meat and other meat products, the USDA said.
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