RP may soon export processed chicken to Singapore, SKorea, UAE

The Agriculture Department will help the private sector in exporting processed whole chicken to Singapore, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. “The government will assist the private sector in export negotiations" with other countries, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Davinio Catbagan said at the sidelines of the Philippine Poultry Show 2010 at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City. For the past five years, the Philippines has been exporting chicken cut-ups to Japan, where they are sold as yakitori or grilled chicken in groceries and convenience stores. Since there is an excess of chicken meat in the Philippines, the country may likely forge poultry trade ties with some countries in Asia, Catbagan said. “Our poultry raisers should be able to make money from the excess inventory. We’re giving them all the help they need to make this fly," he said. South Korea may soon approve the proposal of the Philippines to export whole chicken, Catbagan said, pointing out that “we hurdled five of its stringent requirements [already], but there’s no export volume yet." Poultry integrator San Miguel Foods Philippines Inc. said early this year that it foresees a 20-percent increase in shipments of yakitori to Japan on the back of stronger demands. In 2009, the Philippines exported about 6 million kilograms of yakitori, mostly to Japan. Catbagan likewise said the government is reviving trade ties with Bangladesh for the export of one-day-old chicks. “They used to get one-day-old chicks from us. It’s been two years now since they stopped importing them. If there’s [again] an opportunity for us to talk, we might want to formalize things in a trade agreement," said Catbagan. Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department has committed to support the establishment of a P60-million egg-processing plant in San Jose, Batangas. The Batangas Egg Producers Cooperative will manage the project, noted Catbagan. -- JE/OMG, GMANews.TV