March 22, 2007

 

Brazil's February chicken exports up 16.7 percent on-year

 

 

Brazil's chicken exports rose 16.7 percent on the year in February to 232,215 tonnes, the Brazilian Association of Chicken Exporters (ABEF) said Wednesday (Mar 22).

 

The number is also higher than January export volume of 209,049 tonnes. The first two months of the year saw exports rising 7 percent in comparison with the same period in 2006.

 

Average prices paid for Brazilian chicken in February were US$1,273 per tonne, roughly US$1.20 per tonne more than ABEF previously estimated.

 

Brazil continues to ship mostly frozen chicken cutlets to world markets, followed by whole, frozen chicken. February shipments of chicken cutlets rose 7 percent to 130,257 tonnes. January and February combined volumes rose 0.4 percent on the year to 254,293 tonnes.

 

Whole birds rose 24.5 percent to 85,297 tonnes in February. January and February combined volumes rose 11.5 percent to 157,839 tonnes on the year.

 

Processed chicken meats continue to increase, with February exports being no exception. February processed chicken meat volume rose 95 percent to 16,659 tonnes compared to last February. January and February combined volumes rose 85.3 percent to 29,132 tonnes compared to the same period last year.

 

The Middle Eastern markets remain Brazil's no. 1 importers, totalling 132,038 tonnes in February, or 25 percent more than February 2006.

 

Next is the European Union, with imports rising 49 percent on the year in February to 73,988 tonnes.

 

Exports declined to South American, African, Asian and Russian markets in February.

 

Over the last several months, ABEF and individual chicken exporters like Sadia have said that bird flu outbreaks were no longer affecting chicken consumption. Brazil is the world's leading chicken exporter.

 

ABEF forecast 2007 total volume of 2.8 million tonnes, up 5 percent from 2006 volume.

 

In a press release, ABEF President Ricardo Goncalves said there was a possibility that federal food inspectors could go on strike in the weeks ahead. The last time that occurred was in 2005, immediately impeding shipments of 50,000 tonnes of chicken.

 

"Any interruption of work by these inspectors would have grave impacts at this moment, when exports are starting to return to last year's levels," Goncalves said in the press release.

 

According to the local Estado newswire, a European Union import tariff on processed chicken meat will go into affect July 1. The new tariff makes it more costly for Brazilian chicken exporters to enter the European Union market.