September 3, 2010

Australia's 2009-10 beef exports to Asia soar 20%

Australian beef exports to South-east Asia and China in 2009-10 jumped 20% on-year to a record 131,292 tonnes, as demand for red meat in the region surged in the face of booming population and vibrant economic growth.

Australia, the US, New Zealand and Brazil have all reached record exports to these markets.

Although Australian exports were predominantly driven by the demand for manufacturing beef (Indonesia and Philippines) and alternative cuts (Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, China and Hong Kong), increased volumes of chilled and grainfed beef were also shipped to the region.

During 2009-10, West Australia's (WA) beef exports to China dropped to 19 tonnes from 70 tonnes in the 2008-09 financial year. The biggest market for WA exports was Indonesia which took 9,169 tonnes in 2009-10, up from 6,858 tonnes in 2008-09.

WA beef exports to the Philippines were down from 1,037 tonnes the previous year to 665 tonnes.

Exports to Singapore also dropped to 650 tonnes compared to 743 tonnes the previous year, with exports to Vietnam totalling 27 tonnes, down from 117 tonnes during the 2008-09 financial year.