São Paulo – Chicken, milk and egg production grew in Brazil in the first three months this year, according to figures from the survey Statistics of Animal Husbandry of the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE), disclosed last Friday (27th). A total of 1.184 billion birds were slaughtered, growth of 12.2% in comparison with the same period of 2007.
Chicken exports grew 12.6% in the first quarter. Revenues from exports, however, recorded a much greater increase, as the average price per tonne rose from US$ 1,192 in the first three months of 2007 to US$ 1,233 in the first quarter this year.
In the case of chicken eggs, there was an increase of 8.2% in production, which reached 570,500 dozens of eggs during the period.
With regard to milk, 4.88 billion litres were industrialised in the first three months this year, a volume 9.3% greater than in the same period of 2007. In the foreign market, there has been an expansion of 10.8% in raw milk sales, and the average price per tonne went from US$ 1,283 to US$ 1,733 from January to March 2008. Shipments of powdered milk, the leading export item in the dairy production chain, grew 25.6% in volume and 140.3% in revenues.
Bovine production, however, recorded a 10.1% decrease in the first quarter this year. A total of 7,154 animals were slaughtered. There was a reduction of 27.6% in volume of exported beef, but the increase in the price of product made up for eventual losses in revenues. Average price per tonne leaped from US$ 2,426 in the first three months of 2007 to US$ 3.528 in the first quarter this year.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
