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On April 26, 2022, the Philippine Department of Health’s Food and Drug Administration notified the World Trade Organization of a “Draft Administrative Order Revised Rules and Regulations on the Licensing of Food Establishments and Registration of Processed Food, and Other Food Products, and for Other Purposes Repealing Administrative Order 2014-0029.” Trading partners and other stakeholders have until June 25, 2022 to submit comments.

The Philippines has long been an underserved market and an anomaly in Southeast Asia for U.S. seafood, accounting for less than $10 million of the total foreign supply in 2021, valued at $970 million.

This report outlines Philippine government requirements for the importation of food and agricultural products. The report aims to assist U.S. exporters by providing information on labeling, packaging, permitted ingredients, and other relevant information.

This report outlines the Philippine government’s required documents of the United States in order to facilitate the importation of U.S. food and agricultural products. Post has not made substantive changes to the report for 2022.

Post forecasts sugar production in Marketing Year (MY) 2023 to decline by 50,000 MT to 2 million MT, as high fertilizer prices lead to reduced yields. Production for MY 2022 is also lowered to reflect the damage to sugar farms in December 2021 by Typhoon Rai (local name Odette).

The 2021 U.S. Agricultural Export Yearbook provides a statistical summary of U.S. agricultural commodity exports to the world.

Philippine demand for imported high-quality food and beverage ingredients remains strong, despite supply chain disruptions, rising inflation, and logistical challenges.

The Philippines is the largest market for U.S. soybean meal (SBM) and a top coconut oil exporter. The country is also a major palm oil market for neighboring ASEAN countries. The loosening of COVID-related restrictions and the corresponding economic rebound are expected to support greater demand for soybean meal.

In 2016, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Philippine Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI) agreed on a county-based format for managing trade restrictions due to detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in the United States.

FAS Manila forecasts Market Year (MY) 2022/23 milled rice production will reach 12.4 million metric tons (MT), flat with the previous year’s near-record high. The Philippine government’s support programs will help rice farmers partially offset rising input costs.

FAS Manila maintains 2022 pork production at 1 million metric tons (MT), flat compared to 2021, as repopulation efforts in Luzon are offset by new outbreaks of African Swine Fever in Mindanao and the impact of Typhoon Odette (Rai) in the Visayas.

On February 15, 2022, the Philippines approved the revised Joint Department Circular No. 1 (JDC), streamlining the regulatory policy governing plant biotechnology. Signed by five Department Secretaries, the document was published in two newspapers on March 8, 2022, and will go into effect 15 days later.