Russia: Pork exports may climb to 60 times more

from: Pig Progress

According to the Agriculture Minister of Russia Yelena Skrynnik, the country may see its exports of pork and poultry sky-rocket to 60 times more by the year 2020.

Russia is aiming to become less dependent on meat imports from other countries.

Increase in pork exports
"We're keeping pace with the times and the technological process. By our estimates, export volumes could be up to 400,000 tonnes of poultry and 200,000 tonnes of pork. That's $1.5 billion to $2 billion a year," she said, compared with a combined 10,000 tonnes of exports last year.

President Dmitry Medvedev has stated that Russia imports a big portion of meats, and is one of the biggest importers of the product; however, it may become a leader in the production of meat if it puts in place the essential infrastructure.

"We need to start with something. In that case, Russia will see big prospects to become an influential player at the international food market," he said

Earlier this year, the President signed a new food security doctrine – stating 85% of meat consumed in the country to be produced locally by the year 2020 and added that having meat available for domestic consumption would still be a high priority.

According to the Agriculture Minister, meat production is expected to climb 5% in 2010.

Philippine hog output expected to drop

from: Business World
http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=14114&src=2

LOCAL HOG production is expected to dip by 3% this year due to the lingering impact of damage to commercial and backyard farms caused by storms that hit late last year, an industry leader said yesterday.

The government, on the other hand, expects at least 1% growth this year, citing the recovery of some backyard farms from storm damage.

"We are expecting a shortfall in production for this year, around 3% decrease from last year because of damage caused by Ondoy and Pepeng last year," Albert R. T. Lim, Jr., president of the Pork Producers Federation of the Phils., Inc., said in a telephone interview.

Mr. Lim explained that both commercial and backyard farms that sustained storm damage have not totally recovered.
"The farms still need additional support from the government, especially for backyard farms," Mr. Lim said.
He noted that about 70% of the swine population is raised in backyard farms.

But Felix G. Valenzuela, interim director of the Livestock Development Council, an agency attached to the Agriculture department, said in a separate phone interview that he expects the industry to grow by at least 1%.

"We’re expecting [the hog industry] to grow by at least 1% this year because of an expected recovery of backyard farms," Mr. Valenzuela said.

Even though there is a projected shortfall in production, Mr. Lim said current supply should be enough to meet local demand because of a shortfall in demand felt by the sector this year.

"There is also a shortfall in demand for pork, which is a good thing because of the shortfall in our production. Supply is sufficient for the local demand and we won’t be needing any imports at present," Mr. Lim said.

Hog production slightly increased by 0.35% to 455,480 metric tons (MT) in the first quarter from 453,890 MT in the same period last year, data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) show.

The nearly flat performance was due to "lower stocks of fatteners and tight supply of piglets" in the Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and Calabarzon regions, BAS said.

Hog production inched up by 1.07% to 1.88 million MT in 2009 from 1.86 million MT the previous year, BAS said. But 2008 actually saw a production drop of 1.6%, a decline the government attributed to mortality due to hog cholera.

Phil. Gov’t bans imports of pork, poultry from S. Korea & Taiwan

From: Business World
http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=6281&src=2


THE GOVERNMENT has banned importation of pork from South Korea, as well as poultry and live birds from the same country and Taiwan, an Agriculture official said over the weekend.

Davinio P. Catbagan, director of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), said in a phone interview that the ban on pork, poultry products and live birds from South Korea was issued last Jan. 5, while the one on poultry and live birds from Taiwan was issued Jan. 26.
He attributed the ban to reports of outbreaks of foot and mouth disease (FMD) as well as low-pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, in those economies.

Last Jan. 30, South Korea reported its sixth FMD case in a cattle farm north of Seoul.
The same country reported last Jan. 26 that tests conducted in December last year confirmed that about 26,000 ducks in a farm in Seosan City were infected with the H5 strain of bird flu.
Taiwan, on the other hand, reported on Jan. 21 that 7,000 chickens in a farm in Changhua County, Taiwan died of the virus.

Last year, the Philippines imported 114.36 million kilograms of pork, 7.6% of which came from South Korea. But the Philippines does not import poultry or poultry products from either South Korea or Taiwan.

BAI data show that the local livestock sector lost about P2.3 billion to FMD between 1995-2005. The country has not had any reported case of the disease since then.

The Philippines has a pending application with the World Organization for Animal Health for "FMD-free without vaccination" status for Luzon -- the remaining part of the country without such certification.