July 17, 2007

 

Brazil's chicken exports up 24 percent at 1.54 million tonnes in 1H

 

 

Brazilian chicken exports in the first half of this year jumped to over 1.54 million tonnes, up 24.4 percent from the same period last year, as Mideast and European buyers returned to the market amidst receding fears about bird flu, the country's Association of Chicken Producers and Exporters, or ABEF, said Monday (July 16).

 

Exports in June alone hit 259,319 tonnes, up 33 percent from the roughly 194,883 tonnes shipped out in the same month in 2006.

 

Meanwhile, chicken export revenue in the January-June period climbed to over US$2.1 billion, up 47 percent from the year-ago period.

 

Despite the increases in export volume and revenue, revenue was hit hard by a strengthening of the Brazilian real against the dollar, said ABEF.

 

In the first half of this year, Brazilian chicken exporters lost BRL1.836 billion (US$981.8 million) due to the stronger local currency, according to a study conducted by local trade consultancy Icone for ABEF.

 

On Monday afternoon, the local currency was trading at 1.87 Brazilian reals to the dollar, its highest level in seven years.

 

Exports to the Mideast - which accounts for just under a third of Brazil's overseas chicken market - jumped 56.2 percent in the first half to 461,810 tonnes.

 

European buyers, meanwhile, bought 271,475 tonnes of chicken in the January-June period, up 53.7 percent from a year earlier.

 

Asian countries purchased 388,225 tonnes in the first half, up 2.71 percent from the year-ago period.

 

However, Brazilian chicken exports to Russia, Africa, and South America dropped in the first half of this year.

 

Russia bought 88,361 tonnes of chicken in the January-June period, or 13.2 percent less than in the year-ago period, while Africa bought 113,419 tonnes, down 11.8 percent from a year earlier.

 

Exports of chicken cuts totalled 893,683 tonnes in the first half, up 15.6 percent from 773,247 tonnes in the year-ago period.

 

Exports of chicken cuts in June alone rose to 160,705 tonnes, up 27.3 percent compared with the same month last year.

 

Meanwhile, purchases of whole chickens rose to 556,271 tonnes in the January-June period, up 35 percent from 411,814 tonnes in the same period in 2006.

 

In June, whole chicken exports hit 84,784 tonnes, up 44 percent from the 58,879 tonnes shipped out in the same month last year.

 

Exports of cooked chicken meat leapt as well to 89,719 tonnes in the first half, up 60.4 percent from the 55,937 tonnes sold from January through June 2006.

 

In June alone, cooked chicken meat exports were about 11,755 tonnes, up 20.8 percent from the 9,729 shipped out in the same month a year ago.

 

Brazil is the world's leading chicken exporter by volume.