Leading Russian poultry meat producers ready to resume shipments to Philippines

MOSCOW. June 22 (Interfax) - Leading Russian poultry meat producers are ready to resume shipping their products to the Philippine market, the Agroexport center said following a business mission round table of Russian exporting companies in Manila.

The Resource association of enterprises has already shipped poultry meat to the Philippines. "Due to restrictions in 2021, we were unable to continue developing the market, but we see serious potential in it and consider it as strategically important," Alexandra Gorbacheva, head of the Asia trade representative office of Resource, said in a press release.

Filipinos now actively consume poultry meat: it replaces pork, and therefore there is a large demand for chicken meat, she said.

A representative of the Cherkizovo group also announced plans to supply poultry meat to the Philippine market.

Director of Consistent Frozen Solutions, one of the leading distributors of meat products in the Philippines, Hershey Eng, said that, at present, the demand for poultry meat, as well as pork, is not being met in the country. Meanwhile, among the main factors to consider when making a purchasing decision are price, quality, regularity of deliveries and a proven brand, he said. "The Philippines is a country that is extremely sensitive to brands. If you want to enter the Philippine market, you must ensure long-term, regular and continuous supply, as well as consistent quality," Eng said.

The Mother & Daughter Meat Shop chain of meat stores is considering the possibility of getting its meat from Russia, which will be sold both in retail and to wholesale customers. In addition, in the next few years, the company intends to enter new segments and import rice, wheat and corn, Director of Business Development, Joseph Baldonado said.

Philippine Feed Industry Association President Edwin Mapanao named chicken as a promising product for the Philippine market.

According to Technologies of Trust - Consulting, recently there have been changes in the structure of meat consumption in the Philippines: the share of pork has decreased from 70% to 50% due to its replacement with poultry and beef.

As the head of the Agroexport center, Dmitry Krasnov, noted at the round table, consumer demand in the Philippines is diverse, but "a large number of consumers prefer traditional, rich food." This potentially allows Russian suppliers to export a wide range of products, he said.

The Business Mission of Russian Exporters of Agricultural Products to the Philippines was organized by the Russian Agriculture Ministry and the Agroexport Center with the support of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines.