During the recent courtesy visit of the British Chamber of Commerce Philippines (BCCP) Executive Vice Chairman Chris Nelson to the Philippine Ambassador to the UK Teodoro Locsin Jr., food security efforts at both national and regional levels were discussed, citing as a top priority, following the impacts of the Middle East Crisis and the upward trend on inflation, that can present an opportunity for the Philippines as ASEAN Chair to establish regional food security resilience.
At the 48th ASEAN Summit, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. identified food and energy security as part of the main agenda of its chairship.
In a statement, he said: “At this summit, I will lead discussions on how the region can bolster regional preparedness and ensure stable energy supply and accelerate energy diversification to reduce vulnerability to external shocks, including those stemming from the conflict in the Middle East.”
External shocks to food security brought about by the rising fuel and fertilizer prices continue to impact agricultural productivity. Inflation has also witnessed a three-year high at 7.2% in April 2026, with food and non-alcoholic beverages being the main driver for the surge, making up to 31.9% share of the inflation.
Meanwhile, food inflation also increased to 6.1% in the same period from 2.7% in the previous month.
Nelson mentioned that despite these challenges, the Philippines remain at an opportune time to advance its bilateral and regional trade ties with its partners, including the UK, which is also a key partner in the ASEAN, marking key milestones in the year such as the 80th year of diplomatic relations between the UK and the Philippines as well as the UK celebrating its 5th year of being a dialogue partner of the regional organization.
He noted that, “We are pleased to say, and of course, we all want this conflict to be resolved, because clearly the impact is on oil, which is about $100 a barrel. But if I specifically come back to pork exports from the UK were significantly stronger, I think up to about 20 percent in February. So actually, that is continuing, and the need for food security and supply is very high for the Philippines.”
Meat and meat preparations continue to contribute to the overall trade between the Philippines and the UK, with UK exports reaching £31.8 million in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2025.
The Philippines is also its 2nd top UK pork export destination in Asia, next to China, which has seen an upward growth trend since 2018, and a 20% increase in YTD February 2026. Nelson also emphasized the role of the UK Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), which has continuously engaged with the Philippine market since 2021, facilitating a total of 8 trade missions, signaling a strong interest in the Philippine local market.
Other trading mechanisms are helpful in pushing for food security resilience such as the UK-Philippines Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) to further widen market access for agri-food exporters and other commercial opportunities.
Aside from ASEAN, Nelson also encouraged the utilization of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), to which the UK acceded in December 2024, to establish a stronger regional food security.
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