A joint declaration to enhance cooperation in food security was signed between the government of the Philippines and France. The discussion puts emphasis on developing the Philippines’ local dairy industry through the assistance of the French government.
The agreement aims to facilitate the development of the local dairy sector through bilateral public policy consultation that will strengthen the technical and trade cooperation between the two countries. Commercial linkages are also expected to be improved between French and Filipino dairy producers, agri-food companies, importers, and distributors. Upcoming projects between the two countries involve the implementation of a pilot project for the integrated development of the dairy sector as well as the official visit of a Philippine delegation to France to learn best practices applicable to the Philippine dairy industry.
Although the Philippines has been a net importer of dairy products, particularly skimmed milk powder (of which about 1 billion liters were imported in 2020), the country’s local milk production is slowly increasing. It recorded an increase of 9.5% from 24.38 million liters in 2019 to 26.71 million liters in 2020. Other dairy imported products include whey powder, liquid ready-to-drink milk, buttermilk powder, butterfat/dairy spread, cream, whole milk powder, and cheese among others.
(Source: Philippine News Agency)
