February 26, 2007

China doubled US chicken imports last year

Excluding chicken paws, China imported nearly 240,000 tonnes of US chicken meat in 2006, an increase of 154 percent over 2005. Value traded was up 134 percent to US$168 million.

Combined meat and paw exports to China were up 64 percent in volume, to 471,788 tonnes, and 50 percent in value to US$373.1 million. This meant China now accounts for nearly a fifth of US annual chicken exports of nearly 2.4 million tonnes. 

China overtook Russia as the top importer of US chicken for December 2006, according to USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service. For the full year however, China was second to Russia in terms of US broiler meat imports.

China imported nearly 56,000 tonnes of US chicken for that month, worth an estimated US$42 million.

China accounts for the majority of US chicken paw sales.

Although global US broiler export volumes grew one percent last year, value fell 12 percent.