May 4, 2023

Argentina's pork production up 3.9% in 2022

Argentina's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries said the country increased pork output by a record 3.9% in 2022, producing 723,388 tonnes of meat last year, Pig Progress reported.

During the same time period, the number of slaughtered animals increased by 2.4% to 7,666,022. Official data showed the trend was also visible at the start of this year.

A total of 1.2 million animals were processed in the first two months of 2023. This is a 10.6% increase over the same period last year, when 1.1 million swine were processed. However, pork exports fell by 80% in 2022, to 9,400 tonnes. During the second quarter, China significantly reduced its imports from Argentina. Pork consumption per capita increased by 6.1% in 2022 as more pork meat became available. This is a new record high.

Cordoba had the most slaughtered animals (341,000), followed by Buenos Aires (322,000), Santa Fe (196,000), Entre Roses (107,000), and San Luis (61,000). These five regions are home to 88.4% of the total herd. Over the last five years, this share has remained stable. All provinces send swine for slaughter to Argentina's industrial plants.

Researchers Juan Manuel Garzón and Lautaro Sibilla from the Mediterranean Foundation's Institute of Studies (IERAL) said Argentinian swine production has been steadily increasing in recent years.

They said the country's pig production will increase at a 3.4% annual rate between 2018 and 2023. Argentina currently has 414 slaughterhouses, 104 of which slaughter cattle and pigs. Around 60 focus solely on swine, while the remaining 250 focus on cattle.

They also said Cordoba is an interesting case because the vast majority of companies slaughter swine and cattle there. 82% of pig slaughtering companies also process swine and cattle. These percentages are lower in Buenos Aires. Only 48% of the 40 swine slaughtering establishments also process cattle.

-      Pig Progress