August 3, 2012

Argentina to become fourth largest poultry producer

Argentina's Industry Minister, Debora Giorgi, says that the country is progressing to becoming the fourth largest poultry producer in the short term.

According to the Industrial Strategic Plan 2020, the sector achieved in less than a decade exports of 600,000 tonnes per year.

From 2003 until today, poultry production tripled, doubled the level of per capita consumption and export became tenfold from US$65 million to US$650 million. Argentina is now the ninth largest producer of poultry meat, producing 1.6 million tonnes.

"We are on track to be, within a few years' time, the fourth largest producer of poultry meat," said Giorgi.

She also stressed that Argentina "is the sixth largest exporter of poultry meat and sells to over 60 countries". So far this year, it has already exported 356,000 tonnes, 100,000 of which were destined to Venezuela.

In 1970, it took 2.8 kilogrammes of balanced food for a kilogramme of chicken and 75 days for a broiler chicken of 2,500 kilogrammes. In 2010, two kilogrammes of food was required to do the same balanced kilogramme of chicken and 46 days for a broiler chicken of 2,760 kilogrammes.

Since the incorporation of technology in the production chain, for 2017 producers are going to need 1.7 kilogrammes of food and 38 days for a broiler chicken of 2,800 kilogrammes, according to the data cited by Giorgi.

The forum on Argentina's Poultry Industry Strategic Plan 2020 agreed to reach a consumption of poultry meat in the country of 50 kilogrammes per capita per year, producing 3.1 million tonnes (91% more than in 2010), generating 50,000 jobs to achieve the 200,000 workers in the sector and export 600,000 tonnes per year.

Every tonne of corn and soy exported by Argentina means an average income of US$620. In the poultry sector, that same tonne processed into chicken can generate foreign exchange for 2.300 and 2.900 if it is exported as bucking chicken cooked.

Argentina registered a steady growth since 2003, going from 300 million head of poultry slaughtered, compared with over 700 million in 2011, while consumption of poultry meat in the period 2003-2011 increased from 18 to 39.5 kilogrammes per capita.