May 21, 2012

 

US meat exports dropped for Q1

US chicken and egg exports set on-year records in both quantity and value for the first quarter of this year, according to the Foreign Agricultural Service.

 

Compared to the first quarter of 2011, January-March export quantity of US poultry meat reached 984,947 metric tonnes, up 14 %, while the value of those shipments climbed to US$1.302 billion, up 27 %, both of which are all-time records.

 

US poultry exports for the month of March also set quantity and value records, reaching 339,220 tonnes valued at US$459.4 million, up 9.3 and 21.8 %, respectively, over March 2011.

 

Monthly exports of broiler meat - excluding chicken paws - in March were 269,755 tonnes, up 7% from March 2011, while export value rose to US$343.2 million, up 23%, fuelled by increased shipments to Cuba, Russia, Mexico and Kazakhstan.

 

For the first quarter, broiler meat (excluding paws) exports were 787,722 tonnes valued at US$796.3 million, up respectively by 14 and 31%.

 

First-quarter broiler meat shipments to Mexico, the top market for US poultry, rose by 11% over year to 128,274 metric tonnes, while exports to Russia increased 91% to 52,968 tonnes. Exports to Cuba climbed four-fold to 45,072 tonnes, while shipments to Taiwan rose by 9% to 40,962 tonnes.

 

Exports to other important markets in the first quarter were Hong Kong, 37,226 tonnes, down 34%; Canada, 35,965 tonnes, up 11%; Iraq (including trans-shipments via Turkey) 35,875 tonnes, up 7%; Angola, 26,557 tonnes, down 8%; South Korea, 22,141 tonnes, down 20%; Kazakhstan, 21,443 tonnes, up nine-fold year on year.

 

Exports of US chicken paws in March reached were 35,472 tonnes valued at US$48.3 million, up 43 and 33% from March 2011, respectively. While shipments to Hong Kong rose by 36.2% to 31,419 tonnes, exports to mainland China increased by 169.4% to 3,793 tonnes.

 

First-quarter exports of chicken paws reached 101,544 tonnes at US$134.5 million, up 29 and 14% year on year, respectively. Export value set an on-year record, while export quantity was slightly lower than the record set in 2008.

 

Not to be left out, US turkey meat exports rose by 9% in March to 29,111 tonnes over March 2011, while value jumped by 24% to US$57.8 million. Both export quantity and value set records for the month.

 

Cumulative first-quarter 2012 turkey exports also set records for quantity and value, reaching 82,053 tonnes valued at US$160.5 million, respective increases of 13 and 28% from the same period a year earlier. Exports to top market Mexico climbed to 46,947 tonnes at US$98.8 million, up 13 and 25% on year, respectively.

 

Moreover, the top five markets accounted for 79% of US turkey meat exports for the first quarter, with Mexico alone taking 57%.

 

For table eggs, export quantity for March 2012 was 7.7 million dozen, down 5% from March 2011, while export value was US$7 million, up 0.6%. The dip is largely attributable to decreased exports to the U.A.E.

 

Quarterly exports of table eggs jumped to nearly 21 million dozen valued at US$19.4 million, up 31 and 42% year on year, respectively. Of the total, 82%, or just over 17 million dozen were shipped to the top five export markets of Hong Kong, Canada, U.A.E., Bahamas, and Netherlands Antilles.

 

For egg products, March exports were US$113.238 million, up 28% from March 2011. While export value to Japan decreased 40%, exports to the EU-27, Canada, and Mexico all increased significantly. Cumulative export value of egg products in the first quarter of 2012 was nearly US$32 million, up 22% year on year.

 

Exports to Japan, the top export market for US egg products, decreased 8% to US$11.8 million, accounting for 37% of US egg products exports.

 

Total egg exports (table eggs plus egg products in shell-egg equivalents) for the first quarter of this year were 53.7 million dozen, up 2% from the same period of last year, while export value was US$51.3 million, up 29% over year.