August 10, 2009
Japan's June beef imports stable
Japan imported 47,610 tonnes slaughterweight (swt) of beef in June, a marginal increase of 1 percent compared with the same time last year, according to the country's Ministry of Finance.
Growth in chilled imports, up 9 percent on-year to 19,705 tonnes, was partially offset by a decline in frozen items, down 3 percent to 27,904 tonnes. Sound sales in the retail sector assisted the increase in chilled beef, while the unusually high frozen volume in June 2008, combined with slow sales in the foodservice sector, appeared to have caused the reduction in frozen imports.
