Geovana Pagel
São Paulo – Brazilian cattle beef exports should reach US$ 5.8 billion this year, an increase of 42% in comparison to the US$ 4.08 billion registered in 2003. The estimate is that shipping should grow 23% and reach 4.2 million tonnes. Last year 3.43 million tonnes were sold.
"With the new record, Brazil will keep the leadership in the world cattle beef market in terms of volume and in the case of chicken, in terms of quantity and revenues," stated Eliezer Lopes, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply general coordinator for trade support. According to him, this estimate was based on the agribusiness trade balance figures from January to November 2004.
In the first 11 months of the year, foreign sales of raw cattle beef totalled US$ 1.8 billion, the equivalent to 849,000 tonnes. In comparison to the same period in 2003, there was an increase of 74.3% in terms of values and 50% in volumes. The shipping of industrialized cuts totalled US$ 443 million, presenting growth of 39% in comparison to the same period last year.
Algeria and Egypt are among the countries that presented the greatest growth as export destinations for Brazilian raw cattle beef in 2004. Algeria, which was not even included in the list of importers of the Brazilian product up to last year, is currently among the main buyers.
From January to November 2004, Algeria purchased 33,800 tonnes, corresponding to US$ 53.6 million. The increase was 541.22% in comparison to the same period last year, when imports totalled 5,500 tonnes, equivalent to US$ 8.3 million.
Egypt is still the main Arab importer of the Brazilian product. From January to November, the country purchased US$ 149.6 million, the equivalent to 104,100 tonnes, registering a 85.23% increase when compared to the same months last year, when imports totalled US$ 80.8 million, corresponding to 68,000 tonnes.
According to the executive director of the Brazilian Beef Industry and Exporters Association (Abiec), Antonio Jorge Camardelli, this increase of exports of Brazilian cattle beef to the Arab countries is due to the fact that Brazil is structured to answer to the sanitary and religious demands, such as halal slaughter.
"As they are markets that present significant growth potential, the Arab countries will be privileged with two workshops, one in Algeria and another in Egypt, as part of the Abiec foreign actions for 2005," guaranteed Camardelli. "We have not yet defined how the actions will be taken, but they will certainly result in a great party and barbecue between Brazilians and Arabs," he explained.
Quality, sanitary conditions and competitiveness
The Agriculture Ministry coordinator explains that apart from the quality and sanitary conditions of the beef, of the competitive livestock farming and of the aggressive marketing developed on the foreign market, Brazilian exports were favoured by sanitary problems that took place in large world producers of cattle beef, like the United States and Canada.
"The United States, for example, are practically outside the worldwide market due to the cases of mad cow disease," he said.
This year, Brazil expanded sales to Algeria, Egypt, Russia, Chile, Holland, Italy, Germany, Iran and Hong Kong. According to Lopes, this took place because Australia and New Zealand had to replace US exports to Japan and South Korea. "Although our cattle beef does not enter these two Asian countries, the transfer of these suppliers has opened other markets for us," he said.
Mainly due to avian flu in Asia and in parts of the USA, chicken meat exports have also grown significantly. It was the US$ 2.2 billion up to November, 44% more than in the same period in 2003. Shipping rose 23%, to 2.1 million tonnes.
Saudi Arabia is the second largest market for Brazilian chicken exports, losing only to Japan. From January to November 2004, the Saudis imported US$ 280.5 million, the equivalent to 294.6 tonnes, an increase of 28.51% with regard to the same period in 2003, when they purchased US$ 218.2 million, answering to 259,300 tonnes.
The performance of Brazilian pork exports was also very positive. From January to November, raw pork sales reached US$ 665 million, the equivalent to 429,000 tonnes. In comparison to the same period in 2003, this represented a 34.7% increase in values and a 0.96% drop in quantity.
The Russian embargo to Brazilian pork did not cause large losses, guarantees the coordinator. "Firstly because we increased exports to South Africa, Albania, Bulgaria, among others. Apart from that, Russia purchased more than was intended from Brazil, due to lack of suppliers," he explained.
Last month, the Russians partially suspended their restrictions to Brazilian pork, freeing imports from the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.
