With so much trade uncertainty, the Philippines is a welcomed market, especially for American Red Meat.  Joel Haggard, U.S. Meat Export Federation senior vice president recently return from the Philippines where he participated in the World Food Expo, or WOFEX.

 

"These annual food exhibition give us and our members a great opportunity to connect with principal buyers and especially processors in the Philippines to get a pulse of the marketplace and they were generally buoyant about trade and market excess prospects,” Haggard said.

 

Haggard said Philippines is a growing destination for U.S. red meat, for a variety of reasons.  First, their agriculture secretary is seen as very pro trade.  Secondly, consumers there demand U.S. beef products.

 

“One area where we see expanding opportunities is the proliferation of all you can eat Korean BBQ establishment, that charge approximately $10 a person and a staple of these operations is U.S. beef short plate. We heard repeatedly the Korean BBQ sector is a major driver of increased U.S. beef sales.”

 

Also opportunities for the U.S. pork industry, primarily because of the African Swine Fever has become a larger problem.

 

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