The shipment is the culmination of nearly 10 years of collaborative work between government authorities, producers, and exporting companies.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRICULTURA) led the launch of the first shipment of pork products destined for the Philippines, as a result of the Mexican Government’s strategy for trade diversification and strengthening of agri-food production.
The shipment comprised a cargo of 22 tons of pork fat, from the Federal Inspection Type (TIF) establishment number 712 of the Comercializadora Porcícola Mexicana (Kekén), located in Tixpéhual, Yucatán, from where it departed towards the port of Progreso to begin its maritime journey to the port of Manila North.
This event positioned Yucatán as the first Mexican state to export pork to the Philippines —a country with 114 million inhabitants and a projected consumption of this product of 1.90 million tons by 2027— and reinforced Mexico’s presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
This was made possible after the Philippine health authority granted official recognition to the Mexican meat inspection system, enabling immediate access not only to pork fat, but also to a range of exports that includes beef, offal, and edible by-products from authorized TIF establishments.
On behalf of the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Columba Jazmín López Gutiérrez, Undersecretary Ulises Mejía Haro pointed out that this shipment represents an advance for the national pork industry and reflects international confidence in the quality and safety of the country’s agri-food products.
During the ceremony, the federal undersecretary recalled that the first steps to access the Philippine market began in 2017, which involved years of technical work and coordination between the governments of Mexico and Yucatán, the producers and the private sector.
At the time, Kekén’s CEO, Claudio Freixes Catalán, emphasized the strategic importance of foreign trade for the company. “Exports, which represent only 30 percent of our sales, are essential for us to be more competitive in the 70 percent of meat we sell domestically, maintaining the same export quality.”
Likewise, Kekén’s Deputy Commercial Director, Luis Alberto Monarres Miranda, acknowledged the prior institutional work that made this milestone possible. “I especially appreciate the support and enthusiasm of the Secretary of Agriculture, Columba López, who was key to opening this market from the moment we began with a joint trade mission.”
“Mexico has a pig farming industry that can compete, that can meet the demands of international markets, and that has a lot to offer the world,” said Monarres Miranda.
Figures from the General Directorate of the Agri-Food and Fisheries Information Service (DGSIAP) show that Yucatán ranked as the fourth largest pork-producing state in Mexico in 2025, registering a production of 243,169 tons. This volume represented 11.47 percent of national production, reflecting the importance of this activity within the country’s agri-food sector.
In comparison to 2024, when the state produced 241,488 tons, Yucatan’s pork production increased by 1,681 tons, equivalent to an annual growth of 0.7 percent.
In economic terms, production amounted to 18 billion 426 million pesos in 2025, and with this, Yucatán also ranked fourth nationally in this indicator.
Currently, Mexico has 443 TIF-certified establishments in 29 states, 149 of which are authorized to export. This infrastructure helps ensure the quality and safety of Mexican meat products—with support from the National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality (Senasica)—and strengthens the conditions for their sale in international markets.
Also present at the event were the Governor of Yucatán, Joaquín Jesús Díaz Mena; the Coordinator of International Affairs for Agriculture, Santiago Ruy Sánchez de Orellana; the Secretary of Rural Development of the state, Edgardo Medina Rodríguez; and the Director General of the National Port System Administration of Progreso (ASIPONA).
