As COVID restrictions are lifting in the ASEAN region, U.S. red meat suppliers had their first opportunity to meet face-to-face with buyers from the Philippines and Vietnam at the U.S. Meat Products Showcase. The showcase- made possible through support from USDA, the National Pork Board and the Beef Checkoff Program- was originally planned for 2020 but was delayed because of COVID. Dave Rentoria, the U.S. Meat Export Federation’s representative in the Philippines, says now is a good time to bring the importers and suppliers together.
?Because the economy has been opening up, events are now allowed to happen in full capacity here in the Philippines,? Rentoria said. ?So, we tried to finally do this, the U.S. Meat Product Showcase and Conference. The main objective of this project is actually to personally connect USMEF members and exporters with the different processors and importers here in the Philippines. We also took the opportunity of this event and invited some importers from Vietnam.?
The marketplace has changed in the past two years, not only because of COVID, but also because the Philippines has reduced tariffs on imported pork due to the impact African swine fever had on the domestic supply.
?Yeah, actually, it’s a very good timing, because many of the importers that we invited are kind of like a new importer,? Rentoria said. ?And these new importers came in because of because of the reduced tariff and increased minimum access volume or the quota. So, we see them doing more importation of pork. And this is, I think, a good opportunity for us to also tap them and inform them of the qualities or attributes of U.S. pork and also to introduce to them some of the MEF members that are really exporting a lot of U.S. pork not only in the Philippines, but also in other parts of ASEAN countries.?
For more information, visit usmef.org.
