MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil breaks animal protein export record in first half of 2024

The top importers of Brazilian beef were: China with 565,654 tons worth US$2.5 billion and United Arab Emirates with 95,000 tons, amounting to US$435 million.

Brazil establishes new beef export record in the first half of this year, having shipped 1,29 million tons of animal protein, which represents a 27% over the same period in 2023, with 1.019 million tons. Revenues was up 17%, to US$ 5,69 billion.

 The previous record is from 2022 when beef exports totaled US$ 6,19 billion , according to the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC), compiled and checked by the Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries (Abiec).

In June 2024 alone, beef exports reached 220,184 tons, generating US$ 953 million. According to Abiec, and reported by Beef Point this result was slightly lower than the record shipments documented in the previous two months.

The top importers of Brazilian beef were: China – Imported 565,654 tons worth US$2.5 billion, reflecting a 10.2% growth in volume.

United Arab Emirates – Imported nearly 95,000 tons, an increase of 238% compared to the first half of 2023, amounting to US$435 million.

United States – Imported 85,395 tons, up 19.7%, generating US$515 million in revenue. Hong Kong – Imported 61,000 tons, up 10.6%, totaling US$196 million.

Chile – Imported 48,726 tons, up 9.4%, totaling US$229 million.

Fresh beef exports, amounting to 1.13 million tons, represented 87.7% of Brazil’s total volume shipped. Most of this fresh beef was boneless, making up 88% of the total. Bone-in meat still faces limited access in some countries due to certificate requirements, explained Abiec. The largest market for bone-in meat this year was Malaysia, with 2,168 tons, followed by Paraguay (1,542 tons), Morocco (905 tons), Angola (619 tons), and Singapore (467 tons).

Antônio Jorge Camardelli, President of Abiec, pointed out that Brazil continues to lead globally in beef exports. The sector is actively working through a broad public-private partnership, especially with the Ministry of Agriculture and ApexBrasil, to open new markets and consolidate existing ones.

“Currently, Brazilian beef is present in 158 markets, but we still have room to penetrate countries such as Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Turkey, which together represent around 25% of global demand for beef,” declared Camardelli.