Steep decline for Brazilian beef export revenues this year

Brazilian beef export revenue is expected to fall by 22.7% in 2009 as the industry braves through a difficult year.

From January to November, the beef industry's export revenue totalled US$3.7 billion, down 25% from a year ago, according to the Brazilian Association of Beef Exporters (Abiec) on Tuesday (Dec 22).

Price per tonne this year has dropped to US$3,000 from over US$4,000 in 2008. But there has been an improvement over the past few months and prices are starting to return to the pre-crisis level, said Abiec president Roberto Gianetti.

Abiec expects a 10% to 20% rise in export revenue in 2010. Due to the economic difficulties undergone by Russia - Brazil's biggest beef buyer - the association expects an increase in exports to Chile, the European Union and to North Africa.