PORK PRODUCERS from Taiwan are looking to expand their footprint in the Philippines, the Taipei-based Commerce Development Research Institute (CDRI) said.
“We will work with local distributors, and based on the demand we could expand their markets further,” CDRI Team Leader Hsieh Chung An, who helped organize a Taiwan pork expo last week, told BusinessWorld. “We are also looking at restaurants and hotels.”
He added that the Taiwan-based food companies are seeking to establish themselves with Philippine businesses and consumers.
Mr. Hsieh said that the CDRI had also promoted Taiwan pork products with Philippine supermarkets.
He said that the expo could also head to various cities in the Philippines, depending on demand.
Hog raisers have reported that consumers are reluctant to buy pork amid a surge in African Swine Fever (ASF) cases.
“Taiwan pork is considered among the best in the world in terms of sanitary conditions, so we want to promote our products to the Philippine market,” Mr. Hsieh said.
He added that the industry is “strictly regulated. We do not use ordinary water but purified water… we also have strict requirements for the personnel working in the slaughterhouses,” Mr. Hsieh said, adding that Taiwan has experienced no ASF outbreaks.
The recent surge in Philippine cases was due to the recent rains, which may have helped spread contaminated water in the farms, as well as the transportation of infected pigs outside the known disease zones, the Department of Agriculture has said.
As of Aug. 21, there are 115 municipalities with active ASF cases across 32 provinces, according to the Bureau of Animal Industry. — Adrian H. Halili
