Food Pacific Manufacturing Journal

IT'S not much, but with months of sluggish even standstill development, any recovery in the meat & poultry industry is welcome. The forecast in 2010 is that worldwide recovery will help stimulate improved demand for meat and poultry products. World trade for beef is forecast to rise a mere one per cent, as global demand fails to fully rebound and major suppliers struggle to generate adequate supplies; however, pork demand is expected to rise 3 per cent to 5.6 million tons, as exporters are optimistic about growth in the world economy in 2010 and expect demand from major markets to strengthen. Meanwhile, broiler and turkey meat exports are forecast 2 and 4 per cent higher, respectively. Region-wide, the growing importance of modern retailers will facilitate the rise of packaged food - including, of course, meat and poultry products. Indonesia, in particular, has seen a vibrant expansion of supermarkets and hypermarkets. This provided consumers with greater access to a wide range of packaged food products, such as frozen processed food, chilled processed food, dairy products and meal replacement products, at affordable prices, which further stimulated spending in the last two years. Competition among retailers in order to attract cautious consumers into spending is favourable for the consumers themselves. Purchasers in Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand were even more enticed by the low prices of private label products as well as the regular promotions held by supermarkets/hypermarkets. (This is a trend that we hope to cover more extensively in future editions.) With respect to the meat & poultry industry, these countries each have their strengths. No one questions Thailand's dominance as the largest poultry processor and exporter in the region. Malaysia and Indonesia's advantage is their ability to be able to grow and develop a Halal meat processing industry. The Philippines has a well-developed industry catering to a healthy domestic market, and Viet Nam is poised to modernise its industry with the support of its government.(the end)



ATHLE W. ESTACIO