Abiec finds Brazil's 2020 beef exports steady despite pandemic
Brazil's 2020 beef exports will likely set a new record in terms of volume and value despite the economic uncertainty caused by COVID-19.
8 May 2020
1 minute read
According to Reuters, the analysis comes from Antônio Camardelli, president of beef group Abiec.
No beef plants in Brazil were paralysed because of the outbreak of COVID-19, he said during a live video session, adding that demand from China remained strong.
Camardelli estimated Brazilian exports would generate $8 billion in sales this year, up from $7.65 billion in 2019, while beef volumes could reach 2 million tonnes, almost 130,000 tonnes more than in 2019.
He said when the pandemic is over, the countries which have the most organised supply chains will boost their share in global beef markets, naming Brazil as a natural candidate.
In the first four months of 2020, Brazil boosted exports to China by 111 percent to 202,000 tonnes, with $1.1 billion in sales to the country, Camardelli said.
Given Brazil's better sanitary status relative to rival suppliers, Camardelli also noted he is hopeful the country's meatpackers would soon be able to access alternative markets that buy more expensive cuts.
He said Brazilian beef companies have yet to reach 40 percent of importing countries "that pay the best prices," citing Japan, South Korea, Mexico and Canada.
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