Soybean in the Philippines

Soybean and its components are valuable raw materials for the food and feed industries in the Philippines. Whole beans are mainly used as full-fatted protein meal for livestock after extrusion cooking. They are also processed into various food products such as soymilk and tofu or soybean curd (taho and tokwa). Soybean meal, the by-product of oil extraction, is used mostly as the main source of protein for feeds by the livestock industry. It is also the main ingredient for making ordinary soy sauce (toyo) using the acid hydrolysis method. Soybean oil is used for both food and industrial applications. It is also available in supermarkets as cooking oil. Soybean meal is the most important component of the soybean complex. Here are some facts on the local situation:
  • Local soybean production is very small. Almost all available soybeans are imported. The main sources are USA, Brazil, and Argentina. Since the mid-90s when the yearly supply exceeded 100,000 tons, most of the soybeans are destined for oil extraction. The drop in volume in the past three years may be due to the slowdown in this industry. The low supply last year may had been influenced by the unusually high prices of soybean.





  • The volume of soybean for the direct usage, whether for feed or for food, is probably less than 100,000 tons per year. The food soybeans are sourced mostly from Canada and China. Around 11,500 tons per year are imported from Canada, as reported by the Canadian Soybean Exporters' Association for 2006-2008. 
  • Soybean areas have remained less than a thousand hectares since the late 90s. The larger areas planted in the past can be attributed to the aggressive promotion by both the public and private sectors. At present, though, most of the production areas are found only in the two municipalities of Surigao del Sur: Tago and San Miguel. 
  • The local feed industry is highly dependent on imported soybean meal. The increasing imports reflect the continuous growth of the livestock industry. However, the local entrepreneurs have not expanded the soybean extraction business in the country.



  • Soybean oil, crude or refined, is also imported in significant amounts. The volume imported is more than 10,000 tons every year.
Indeed, there is a big market for local soybean production.