The visit signals Chile’s growing appeal and expansion in the Philippines white meat market. The country’s diet is traditionally heavy on pork, which is extremely popular. Pork is the main source of protein, reaching 15.5 kilos per capita in 2022, compared to the 13.5 kilos of chicken, 3.5 kilos of beef and 0.5 kilos of lamb and goat.
On November 7, the Philippine Ambassador to Chile, Celeste Balatbat visited Agrosuper’s Rosario processing plant in the O’Higgins Region to learn more about Chile’s pork production model.
The Ambassador was welcomed by Agrosuper’s General Manager, Guillermo Díaz del Río, Rafael Prieto, Corporate Affairs Manager, and Juan Carlos Domínguez, President of ChileCarne. The company’s representatives provided details about the entire production process, from feeding and rearing to processing and trading.
The visit signals Chile’s growing appeal and expansion in the Philippines pork and poultry market. Since Chile obtained the health authorizations to export white meat to the country in 2020, growth has been exponential. In just three years, Chile has become the twelfth largest pork supplier in the world, following industry leaders like Spain, Canada, and Brazil. For poultry, Chile ranks seven, after powerhouses like Brazil and the United States.
This success makes perfect sense when considering the importance of meat in the Filipino diet. Traditionally, the country of 111,570,000 inhabitants has shown a predilection for pork, which is its main source of protein, well ahead of chicken and beef. In 2022, per capita pork consumption in the Philippines was 15.5 kilos, which goes to show the relevance of this market for Chilean exporters.
The forecasts are equally promising. According to USDA data, the Philippines is expected to rank seventh in global pork imports and tenth in consumption by 2024. The outlook signals a long-term trade relationship between Chile and the Philippines that will remain fruitful, thanks to the high quality and flavor of Chilean products, as well as the growing demand of the Asian country.
