São Paulo – The Arab markets stood out as destinations of Brazilian chicken meat exports in the first two months of the year, industry association ABPA reported on Thursday (7). The institution attributed the performance to the proximity of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month when Muslim fast during the day but eat collective meals by nightfall, thus boosting the demand for foods. Ramadan follows the lunar calendar and is set to start on March 10 this year.
“The beginning of the year is a period that is heavily influenced by imports preceding the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. In such context, in addition to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, we saw a remarkable growth in exports to Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, and other destinations across the region, particularly in times of uncertainty due to conflicts in the region,” said ABPA market director Luís Rua.
Brazilian overall exports of chicken meat reached 397,700 tonnes in February, up 4.7% from a year earlier. Revenue from exports hit USD 707 million, up 4% year on year. Exports in the first two months of the year reached 802,200 tonnes for USD 1.390 billion, up 0.3% in volume but down 12.7% in revenue.
The UAE purchased 78,200 tonnes in the first two months of the year, 27.7% more compared to February 2023, and Saudi Arabia stepped up imports by 8.4% to 67,600 tonnes. These are the two Arab countries among the five leading destinations of Brazilian poultry exports in the first two months, alongside China, Japan, and South Africa.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
