Friday, May 16, 2008 Singapore accredits pork processing firm
SINGAPORE has finally approved the country's bid to export cut pork products there by finally accrediting a local pork processing firm in Mindanao, officials from the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) confirmed last week.
Jane C. Bacayo, NMIS executive director, said Matutum Meat Packing Corp was recently given the green light to ship frozen pork parts in Singapore by that country's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA).
Matutum Meat, based in nearby Polomolok in South Cotabato province, was one of two Mindanao firms earlier identified by the Department of Agriculture to pioneer the country's foray in the foreign pork market. The other one is the Davao City-based Nenita's Quality Foods Corp.
Ma. Elizabeth D. Callanta, NMIS export coordinator for Singapore, said the private sector would embark on a trade mission to Singapore to discuss arrangements with meat dealers there.
"We hope that we can start exporting pork meat parts to Singapore next month with Matutum Meat taking the lead," she said.
Callanta said Nenita's application to export pork meat products to Singapore has not yet been approved as there are corrective actions that need to be done for its facilities.
"Also, there are changes in the management of Nenita's. But we have not withdrawn its bid for accreditation," said Callanta, without elaborating.
She revealed the looming foray in the foreign market for pork products is getting a boost through the Mindanao hog export program undertaken by the Agriculture department.
"The focus is to require accredited swine farms to practice good animal husbandry," she explained.
Involved in the program is also the Bureau of Animal Industry, another attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, Callanta said.
In March, Jose Ariel B. Billones, NMIS regional meat inspector, said Singapore has approved the country's bid to export frozen cut pork meat products to the island state.
But it was only last April 28 that AVA officially listed in its website Matutum Meat as a pork meat exporter to Singapore, the only company from the Philippines. Singapore also allows companies from 25 other countries to export meat products in the island state.
Stephen Castillo, Matutum Meat manager, earlier noted that if the Singaporean market will be successfully penetrated, it would boost the swine industry of the country since Singapore's standards serve as the barometer for other Asean nations.
"We can then pry open the other foreign markets in the region if we can make it in Singapore," he said.
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.
