Chicken meat imports to PH to increase by nearly 15% in 2027 - USDA - GMA Network

The country's chicken meat importation is forecasted to rise to 780,000 metric tons in 2027 to meet the growing demand from food manufacturing and food service industries, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said.

In a report, the USDA projected importation volume next year is 14.7% higher than the estimated 680,000 MT in 2026.

"Imports are forecast to trend upward as demand from the food manufacturing and food service industries continue to rise, driven by population growth and better economic performance projected for 2027," the report read.

The report added that chicken imports from Brazil are also expected to increase further due to the South American country's price advantage as compared to other suppliers to the Philippines.

"Imports from Brazil are expected to grow in 2027, capturing the majority market share of total Philippine chicken meat imports," the report said.

"Industry contacts, including those from the food manufacturing sector, cite Brazil’s price competitiveness relative to export prices from the Philippines’ other major trading partners, particularly the United States, the European Union (EU), and Canada," it added.

After Brazil, the US is the Philippines' second-largest chicken meat supplier.

The Philippines is also importing substantial volumes of chicken meat from Poland, other EU countries, and Canada.

"Chicken meat imports from EU countries and Canada are expected to increase in volume as alternative market sources. However, their overall market share may decline as Brazil continues to capture a larger share of the market," the USDA report read.

Moreover, the forecasted rise in chicken meat importation could also be attributed to the regionalization agreements by the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) with the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Chile.

"Imports from the United Kingdom and Chile are expected to increase from their lower volumes recorded as of June 2026, following the regionalization agreements and the corresponding lifting of import bans on their chicken meat products," said USDA.

"Regionalization limits import bans to specific HPAI-affected areas rather than imposing a nationwide ban on the exporting country, thereby expanding the pool of eligible suppliers," it also said.

It can be recalled that the DA lifted the poultry ban in 2025 on countries affected by avian influenza: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia (Kelantan and Sabah), Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, and Sweden.

However, the DA imposed a moratorium last March on importing poultry—domestic, wild birds and their by-products—from the US midwestern state of Indiana due to avian influenza outbreaks. —RF/GMA News