October 25, 2012

Brazil faces decreased poultry export volumes

Brazil's poultry exporters have faced declining volumes acquired from some of their key markets.

Through the first nine months of 2012, poultry exports have totaled US$5.6 billion, down 6.9% from the same period last year, while exports by volume rose 0.9% over those nine months, to 2.9 million tonnes, according to the industry's lead trade association, UBABEF.

If Brazilian poultry's top 10 export markets were considered alone, exports by volume for January-September would have dipped into the negative just like export revenue has. Exports by volume provided a 0.9% blip on the growth scale, solely due to more than 130 other small export markets providing 7% growth in orders.

Egyptian orders for Brazilian poultry have increased 150% through September compared to the year-ago period, elevating the market from 17th to seventh for Brazilian exports. The UAE has imported 6.5% more, arguably a negligible amount, while increased poultry exports to China can be whittled down to less than 5% growth, considering they coincided with reductions to Hong Kong.