Chicken consumption grows back

After retreating last year due to the impact of food inflation, per capita consumption of chicken grew back in Brazil this year, according to the Brazilian Association of Animal protein (ABPA), an organization representing the meat industry of chicken and swine. This time, it was the high prices-at times of the year, remember the ' competitor ' beef who helped raise chicken consumption, cheapest protein.
According to estimation of the ABPA, per capita consumption of chicken meat has reached 43 kilos per inhabitant per year, up 2.8% compared to the 41.8 kilograms recorded last year. The per capita consumption, however, is still lower than the 45 kilos per inhabitant registered in 2012.
"Consumption growth took a lot because we were benefited by high prices of beef," said the Chief Executive of ABPA, Francisco Turra, in a meeting yesterday with reporters. According to him, not just consumption grew more this year in Brazil due to the climate "means recessive" of the country's economy.
Despite concerns about the performance of the Brazilian economy in 2015, the chicken meat industry displays optimism and estimates that domestic production of protein will grow from 3% to 4% next year. According to the Vice President of birds of ABPA, Ricardo Santin, high production will be absorbed both in the local market as exports, drawn by China and Russia.
In the Brazilian market, the high prices of beef should continue stimulating the consumption of chicken meat. "The per capita consumption of chicken will increase because the price of beef will follow at very high levels," said Santin.
In relation to the external market, highlighted the promising perspectives Santin to advance sales to China, especially because, in the last month, the Brazilian Agriculture Ministry hit, on a visit to the Asian country, enabling more seven plants producing meat chicken and one pork for export. There are still bureaucratic backlog to formalize the agreement.
"If we confirm the license of these new plants, China will be the main vector of growth, accompanied by Russia," he said. In all, the ABPA estimated yesterday that Brazilian exports of chicken meat will grow 3% to 4% in 2015.
This year, the Brazilian chicken meat production totaled 12.650 million tons, up 2.8 percent, estimated the ABPA. Already product exports grew 2.4 percent to $ 8.09 billion. In quantity, the shipments must have grown 2.5%, to a record volume of 3.99 million tonnes.
In the case of pork, the APBPA estimates that the Brazilian production will grow from 2% to 3% in 2015. According to Rui Vargas, Vice President of pigs from the ABPA, increased production will be pulled only by increasing productivity-with greater weight of piglets were slaughtered.
"We have forecast increasing productivity. With the same arrays and piglets of greater weight, we anticipate increased beef production around 2% to 3%, "he said, during the meeting in ABPA. This year, the entity estimates that pork production totaled 3.47 million tons, high 1.75% on 2013.
Exports of pork to the outside should indent 2.4% this year compared to 2013, to 505 million tons. According to the ABPA, revenues from shipments must have high of 25%, totaling $ 1.7 billion, driven by higher prices of pork because of shortage of global supply. For 2015, Vargas predicts that the volume exported stay stable, even if he didn't "have absolute certainty that the performance for Russia will be repeated". The country represents approximately 50% of Brazilian exports of pork.