São Paulo – Brazil’s poultry exports dropped 8.5% in volume from January to May of this year over the same months of 2017, according to data released this Thursday (21) by the Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA). Despite this, two Arab countries, Jordan and Yemen, increased their purchases of the product, says ABPA.
From January to May, Brazil exported 1.6 million tons. In the same period of last year, the country had exported 1.75 million tons, that is, 149,000 tons more.
In value, exports had an even sharper decline, of 12.3%, in the same comparison. They generated USD 2.6 billion from January to May of 2018 and USD 2.96 billion in 2017’s first five months – USD 364 million more.
Despite the decline, ABPA stated that the truckers’ strike in Brazil, that occurred between the end of May and beginning of June, didn’t impact the numbers. The strike should reflect on June’s numbers. Due to the road blockades, trucks were unable to reach the ports and even feeds and inputs couldn’t reach the plants for the supply of animals.
In May, there was a decline of 4.7% in volume of the poultry exported by Brazil, which reached 333,200 tons. Revenues reached USD 517.6 million, a drop of 13% over the same month of last year.
ABPA highlighted the 100% hike in volume of exports to Mexico, from January to May, plus the increase 12% in China’s purchases. “There was also a significant increase in exports to Jordan, Yemen, South Africa, South Korea and Chile,” said ABPA’s executive director, Ricardo Santin, in a statement.
Translated by Sérgio Kakitani