Overview of Philippine Pulse Imports
WASHINGTON - Mar 7/23 - SNS -- Philippine imports of pulses and other leguminous vegetables in various formats (dry, frozen, flour, and prepared foods) grew 48% in the past five years to $88 million in 2022, according to the U.S. agricultural attache for the country.
Local traders forecast Philippine imports will increase 5% to 7% annually in the next five years. The key drivers include the country's growing reliance on imports, the rising prices of animal-sourced protein, and a growing trend toward plant-based foods.
The Philippines' increasing reliance on imported leguminous vegetables, tight supply of animal protein1, growing trend towards plant-based foods, and strong consumer preference for U.S.-origin products underscore strong opportunity for the U.S. pulses industry to increase export volume.
Philippine production of leguminous vegetables declined over the past five years to 166,600 metric tons (MT) in 20212 (most recent data) at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of -1%.
The top products were green beans (124,600 MT) and pulses (mung, sweat peas, and some beans and chickpeas). Locally-produced pulses (42,000 MT) accounted for 27% of the country's requirement in 2021; the remaining 73% or 116,500 MT was satisfied by imported pulses.
Imports Tranding Upward
In 2022, the Philippines sourced close to 50,000 MT of mung beans (HS 071331), primarily from ASEAN and Argentina; less than one% was sourced from the United States. The Philippine importation of pulses (HS 0713) in the past five years increased to 124,500 MT in 2022. More than half of importation went to food.
The Philippines imported 61,500 MT of peas (HS 071310) in 2022; 70% of which was sourced from Canada, ASEAN, and Argentina. The United States ranked fourth largest supplier and held a 13% volume market share.
Most of the product (57%) was imported directly by food and feed processors, and the rest (43%) by traders. At least 57% of imports went to food use; 34% was used for feeds. The remaining 9% was imported by companies that trade in general. The volume imported by retailers and seed companies was negligible.
In 2022, the Philippines imported 13,000 MT of other dry leguminous vegetables. The top products were kidney beans, chickpeas, and broad beans. Products from Argentina, Canada, and Australia accounted for 70% of importation. Traders brought in 60% of total imports, while 39% was imported by processors (mostly for feed use).
Direct importation of retailers and seed companies was negligible. At least 39% of imports went to food, and at least 28% was used for feeds. The remaining 32% was imported by general traders that cater to both sectors.
In 2022, the Philippines imported close to 5.5 MT of chickpea flour (HS 110610) from the United States and India, in retail and bulk formats.
The Philippine Board of Investments (BOI) is drafting the Philippine Plant-based Food Industry Roadmap to support the development of the local plant-based food industry, with strong emphasis on fiscal incentives under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act for prospective investors. Once completed, the roadmap could bolster the demand for imported pulses and pulse ingredients.
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