USDA Opportunities In PH Processed Veggie Market

The United States sees better opportunities in the market for processed vegetables in the Philippines, expecting it to become the second-largest supplier to Filipino households and businesses, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a report.

A report published by the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) disclosed that the Philippines was reported to have shipped 512,000 metric tons (MT) of processed vegetables from abroad with an estimated value of $460 million in 2022. I Photo: Diz28 Wikimedia Commons

A report published by the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) disclosed that the Philippines was reported to have shipped 512,000 metric tons (MT) of processed vegetables from abroad with an estimated value of $460 million in 2022, 35 percent higher than the previous year's recorded value.

China was the top source of imported processed vegetables in 2022, with a 28 percent share, followed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with 22 percent. The US ranked third and held a 21-percent market share.

"With sales up 22 percent through August 2023, it (the US) is expected to overtake ASEAN and become the second-largest supplier of processed vegetables to the Philippines," said the USDA.

Some of the top US processed vegetable exports to the Philippines last year were potato chips, with a 58 percent market share, and frozen potatoes, with 35 percent.

Citing government data, the annual per capita consumption of vegetables in the Philippines was estimated at 45 kilograms (kg), which, according to the USDA, is less than one-third of the Food and Agriculture Organization's recommended intake of 146 to 182 kg per capita.

The Philippine government aims to improve per capita vegetable consumption by 1 percent each year.

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