MEAT processors and Filipino consumers are shifting to cheaper alternatives like buffalo meat in their bid to cope with rising costs, according to the Meat Importers and Traders Association (Mita).
Mita President Emeritus Jesus Cham noted that month-on-month meat import arrivals fell by nearly 23 percent to 115,182 metric tons (MT) in August from 149,497 MT in July.
Except for buffalo and duck, he added that import volumes of major proteins contracted and has returned to mid-2024 baseline levels in August.
‘While pork, chicken, and beef imports slowed down, buffalo jumped nearly 22 percent month-on-month, further confirming a sustained processor and consumer pivot toward cost-effective raw materials,’ Cham said.
Data from the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) showed that buffalo imports in August rose by 21.9 percent to 5,291 metric tons (MT) from the previous month’s 4,339 MT.
Despite the month-on-month decline, however, meat imports rose by nearly 8 percent year-on-year in January to August.
Figures from BAI showed that the continued rise in the Philippines’s purchases of pork propelled the country’s meat imports in the reference period.
Meat arrivals during the 8-month period climbed by 7.6 percent to 1.14 million metric tons (MMT) from last year’s 1.06 MMT.
Pork shipments rose by 5.16 percent to 602,655 metric tons (MT), accounting for more than half of the total shipments, from 573,091 MT in 2025. The bulk of the imports were pork cuts and offals at 254,524 MT and 182,969 MT, respectively.
Import ban
With the increase in shipments, agriculture group Sinag called on the government to restore pork tariffs to their original levels and impose an import ban on pork.
This, as the local hog sector currently grapples with plunging farmgate prices of around P130 to P145 per kilo, ‘threatening the viability of the local hog industry and allied sectors.’
Sinag Executive Director Jayson Cainglet said restoring pork tariffs to 40 percent for the out-quota volume and 30 percent for the in-quota shipments has been ‘long overdue.’
‘Supporting local food production amid rising global oil prices and economic uncertainty is not merely about helping farmers-it is about safeguarding the broader economy,’ he said.
‘Now more than ever, strengthening domestic agricultural production will reduce external dependence, ensure baseline food availability, protect rural livelihoods, and sustain jobs across allied industries.’