http://business.inquirer.

net/211357/ph-among-worlds-fastest-growing-meat-
consumers-say-experts

Meat-consuming nation
Plotnek said: “The Philippines is one of the fastest growing in the world as meat
eaters. It includes the statistics on the top 10 of the fastest growing meat consuming
nations, of which the Philippines has one of the highest continuing growth rates.
Compound manual growth rate from 2011 to 2021 was predicted to be over 30 percent
a year for pork, chicken and beef.”

Lowest vegetable intake

Science and Technology balik scientist Custer Deocaris, head of Luntiang Lunes
(Meatless Monday Philippines), told the crowd: “We basically import a lot of meat.
We are the most hungry in terms of meat. Eighty percent of the pork we eat are
imported. And we have the lowest vegetable intake in Asia, one of the lowest in the
world. Imagine that. Any seed that we throw into the soil grows. We also have a lot of
farmers, yet most of them are malnourished based on the statistics of Food and
Nutrition Research Institute.”

Deocaris added: “Majority of Filipinos cringe whenever you tell them to try to eat
vegetables. Why don’t we love veggies? From a neuroscience perspective, food
habits—the hunger for meat, the hunger for salt and the hunger for sugar—are all
within the network of addictions; in the circuitry in our brain. If you can curb
smoking, you can do the same with diet.”

https://newsbits.mb.com.ph/2017/07/01/opportunities-challenges-in-veggie-industry/

Opportunities as well as challenges abound in the vegetable industry in the Philippines. That
was the gist of the message of Dr. Mary Ann Sayoc during a recent media briefing convened
by East-West Seed Company at the Bonaficio Global City in Taguig. Dr. Sayoc is the
general manager of East-West Seed.

She pointed out that the Asia-Pacific is a huge $2-billion vegetable market that could grow
to $3-B by 2021. It is a market that might as well be targeted by local vegetable producers.
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PICK AND PAY DRAGON FRUIT EVENT – The Sanchez Farm in Sitio Tanauan, Palaypalay,
Jalajala, Rizal will conduct a two-day Pick-and-Pay dragon fruit event on July 7-8, 2017. It is one
occasion where the members of families can experience the joy of picking ripe dragon fruits. It is
also where traders can source their supplies. The farm is owned by Edna Sanchez, a former Meralco
employee who went into farming after retirement. Photo shows her with her fresh dragon fruits as
well as dragon fruit jam and wine that she processes.