Friday, March 14, 2008 Exec: Pork shipment gets Singapore's nod
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- The National Meat Inspection Service in Central Mindanao announced last week that Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority has given the go signal for a pork processor in the region to export meat parts to the island state.
Jose Ariel B. Billones, regional meat inspection director, said the Singaporean authority relayed the clearance to their main office for Matutum Meat Packing Corporation to pioneer the shipment of fresh frozen cut pork meat products.
The go signal from Singapore for Matutum Meat was made known by Jane C. Bacayo, NMIS national director, during a national consultation among government meat inspectors in Boracay about two weeks ago, according to Billones.
"But there's no particular date as yet when the actual export would take off," he said.
Singapore's go signal for Matutum Meat, which is based in Polomolok, South Cotabato, came even if the regional meat inspection agency is still awaiting compliance documents from the firm, he added.
On February 18, Billones said Singaporean experts did not give a clearance to Matutum Meat following the foreigners' site inspection last January 28, due to concerns on anti-biotic residues found on pork meat.
Billones said the issue on anti-biotic residue was addressed by tracing the origin of pigs through the assignment by Matutum Meat of codes to piggery owners.
"Also, we have conducted consultations with the piggery owners that they should raise their hogs without anti-biotic supplements just to meet the requirement of Singapore," he said.
Billones stressed that all processed hogs that will be bound for Singapore will also be strictly tested for anti-biotic residues before they will be shipped.
The "other minor problems" Billones said is being addressed by Matutum Meat, as recommended by the Singaporean experts, are the chlorination of water and the setting up of tire disinfectant on vehicles entering the firm's plant.
This paper tried to reach Bacayo, the NMIS national director, in Manila for more details and confirmation, but he was reportedly out.
Stephen Castillo, manager of Matutum Meat, could not also be contacted for comments, but he earlier expressed confidence the company can meet the requirements of Singapore.
Matutum Meat, a sister company of Cebu-based Sunpride Foods, Inc. which produces Holiday corned beef and Sunpride canned goods, has invested around P200 million for its state-of-the-art processing plant in Polomolok town.
Matutum Meat is one of two companies, the other one being the Davao City-based Nenita Quality Foods Corp., which the Department of Agriculture (DA) tapped to pioneer the country's foray in the foreign pork market.
Singaporean experts are reportedly set to visit the facility of Nenita's in June, as Davao meat traders expressed hopes it too will be given clearance just like Matutum Meat.
Mindanao has been chosen by the national government to initiate the country's pork export since the island has been certified as free from the foot-and-mouth disease, the recognition coming from the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) or World Organization for Animal Health.
Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap has originally targeted the nation's foreign pork shipment to take place in July 2007 after announcing the development earlier in the year.
