The Philippine Association of Meat Processors Inc. (PAMPI) said the cost of its raw materials has risen by 20 percent due to very limited access from Brazil, its most affordable source of mechanically-deboned meat (MDM).
In a statement, PAMPI said members cannot just pass on the higher cost to consumers and appealed to government to lift the ban on imports to be able to produce processed meats at affordable cost.
PAMPI said it now sources most of its MDMs from the US and the Netherlands.
The Philippines imported 200,000 kilograms of MDM from Brazil in 2019. From January to July, the country imported 39 million kilograms of MDM from Brazil from January to July prior to the ban in August.
About 90 percent to 95 percent of raw materials of meat processing industry are imported.
The association noted that the Philippines imports more than 800,000 metric tons of meat every year, of which 50 percent to 60 percent is used by meat processors to produce canned meat products, hotdogs and frozen meat items.
