Brazil Achieves Historic Chicken Export Milestone in February

In February, Brazil’s chicken export volume hit a record, reaching 397.7 thousand tons.

This represents a 4.7% increase from February 2023, driven mainly by high demand from Muslim countries.

The Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA) highlighted this achievement, underscoring the global appetite for Brazilian chicken.

Ricardo Santin, ABPA’s president, noted that February’s performance could have been even more impressive.

However, procedural delays by agricultural inspectors held back some potential gains.

Despite these hurdles, optimism for the year remains high, bolstered by sales to Islamic countries and certain Asian markets.

Despite a notable volume increase, export revenue from chicken (including fresh and processed products) dipped to $707 million, a 4% year-over-year decrease.

Looking at the year’s start, chicken exports in the first two months amounted to 802.2 thousand tons, maintaining last year’s level. Yet, revenue fell by 12.7% to $1.39 billion.

ABPA’s market director, Luís Rua, pointed out the significant influence of the pre-Ramadan period on early-year exports.

This time is crucial for Islamic countries, boosting exports not only to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia but also to Iraq, Qatar, and Kuwait.

The leading importer of Brazilian chicken in the initial months was China, with 80.4 thousand tons, despite a 28% decrease.

The United Arab Emirates and Japan showed substantial increases, importing 78.2 thousand tons and 76.6 thousand tons, respectively.

Saudi Arabia and South Africa also remained key markets, though South Africa’s imports dropped by 19%.

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