October 14, 2010

Chilean beef imports up 14% in Jan-Sep

Chilean beef imports during the calendar year to September increased 14% on-year, to 96,657 tonnes swt.

The rise in 2010 comes mainly as a result of a 29% lift in shipments from Paraguay (61,235 tonnes swt), a 169% increase from Brazil (10,944 tonnes swt) and a 146% growth from Uruguay (8,322 tonnes swt).

In contrast, imports from Argentina dropped 54% to 13,139 tonnes swt due to limited supplies and high Argentine cattle and beef prices.

Imports from Australia to Chile jumped 68% on-year, to 2,858 tonnes swt during the period, as retailers open to other sources given high prices from traditional South American suppliers.