Brazil to boost 2019 pork exports

Brazil is expected to boost its 2019 pork exports by 12pc to 720,000 metric tonnes (t) amid the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in China, increased shipments to Russia and attractive currency exchange rates for Brazilian sales.

Between January-July this year, Brazil has already exported nearly 20pc more pork in comparison to the same period in 2018, with China assuming the top position among the main destinations for Brazil's exports, the national association representing chicken and pork producers (ABPA) said today.

"The main driver is the ASF, which has been disrupting the global supply," said ABPA's executive director, Ricardo Santin, during a press conference in Sao Paulo.

China has been dealing with surging cases of ASF since August 2018. According to some forecasts, hog herds in the country may fall by 30pc because of the disease, prompting the Asian nation to look abroad for suppliers to meet its domestic demand.

Russia in late 2018 resumed its purchases of Brazilian pork after an almost one-year embargo. The country is poised to be the third main destination of Brazil's pork this year, behind China and Hong Kong.

An attractive currency exchange rate, feasible feed prices, and a stable domestic market are also supporting the Brazilian pork industry, as well as the country's poultry industry.

ABPA expects up to a 5pc increase year-on-year in poultry shipments in 2019, reaching 4.3mn t. China, Saudi Arabia, and Japan tend to be the main buyers.

In the first seven months of 2019 Brazil exported 2.4mn t of poultry, 5.8pc higher year on year.

Brazil is expected to produce 4.1mn t of pork this year, up by 2.5pc on the year, and 13mn of poultry, a 1pc increase from 2018, ABPA said.