Brazil’s Chicken Exports Soar to Second-Highest Volume Despite Chinese Slowdown

Brazil’s chicken meat exports reached impressive heights in September 2024. The country shipped 485,000 tons of chicken meat abroad, marking a 22.1% increase from the same month last year.

This figure represents the second-highest monthly export volume ever recorded for Brazilian chicken meat. The Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA) released these encouraging statistics on Monday, October 7.

Only March 2023 surpassed this achievement, when Brazil exported 514,600 tons of chicken meat. Brazil maintains its position as the world’s largest exporter of chicken meat.

Several key markets drove the surge in September exports. The United Arab Emirates imported 41,400 tons, up by 17.6%.

Japan’s imports rose significantly by 48.6%, reaching 36,500 tons. Saudi Arabia increased its imports by 5.9%, totaling 29,900 tons.

Other notable increases came from South Africa, which imported 28,400 tons (up 38.2%), Mexico with 23,800 tons (up 57%), and the European Union with 23,700 tons (up 58%).

These figures demonstrate strong global demand for Brazilian chicken meat. China, typically the largest importer of Brazilian chicken, showed a slight decrease.

Its imports fell by 3.4% to 55,100 tons. However, this still represents a substantial improvement from August, when China imported only 16,000 tons.

ABPA President Ricardo Santin expressed optimism about the overall trend. He noted that eight of the top ten importing countries significantly increased their purchases.

Santin highlighted the positive impact of increased imports from high-value markets like Japan on September’s revenue.

The export revenue for September reached $953.8 million, marking a 32.6% increase. This figure stands as the second-highest monthly revenue ever recorded for Brazilian chicken meat exports.

The strong performance in September reversed the year’s earlier trend. From January to September 2024, chicken meat exports showed a modest 0.6% increase, totaling 3.917 million tons.

The cumulative revenue for this period reached $7.273 billion, slightly lower than the previous year’s figure. Paraná, Brazil’s leading chicken-exporting state, shipped 195,600 tons in September.

This volume represents a 20% increase compared to the same period last year. The state’s performance significantly contributed to the country’s overall export success.