MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine per capita beef consumption reached 67.2 kilos

Beef consumption in Argentina in 2007 reached 67.2 kilos per capita, 10.4% over the previous year according to the country's Chamber of Meat Industry and commerce, Ciccra, which also predicts a strong domestic demand in 2008.

Argentina and Uruguay are the world's leading consumers of beef which is almost three times the per capita consumption of Chileans, 22 kilos. "The very good prospects for exports anticipate a horizon of increasing values all along 2008 although those prospects will depend exclusively on the performance of the sector", reads a Ciccra report. In spite of the strong and growing international prices as with other agriculture commodities, the previous and current Kirchner administrations have resorted to temporary beef export bans or limitations to keep domestic food prices in line with inflationary targets without reducing the level of consumption. Ciccra's report also shows that last November Argentina slaughtered 1.396.110 head of cattle "marking a new maximum for a monthly inter-annual series begun in 1990". In monthly terms killings increased 2.1% and inter-annual rates, 10.4%. "However it's important to underscore that growth was entirely supported by a greater slaughtering of females". The Argentine government is also in dispute with dairy farmers who have seen international prices soar while domestic prices have not been allowed to follow to protect the internal market from hefty increases. Dairy farmers, arguing lack of profits, have responded by culling herds and anticipating they will undertake other agriculture activities, possibly turning their land to cereals or oil seed plantations. In the eleven months of 2007, Argentina's meat exports totaled the equivalent of 1.33 billion US dollars, which represents an 8.9% increase. Improved prices and greater export volumes helped boost the annual sales bill.