Brazilian chicken meat exports up 1.7% in the first half

Exports of chicken meat from Brazil advanced 1.7% in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period of the previous year, reaching 2.11 million tons, according to the Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA) on Tuesday (7). Revenue from foreign sales totaled $3.14 billion in the period, down 8.8% from the first six months of last year. The entity pointed out that China also continues as Brazil's main customer in the chicken protein market, importing 346,300 tons in the first half, up 32%. In June, exports were 12.4% lower than in the same period of 2019, reaching 341.9 thousand tons, while revenue summed 446.5 million, down 30.95%. ABPA did not release further details about the retraction in last month's results. The association's executive director, Ricardo Santin, said in a statement that the sector had higher monthly averages than in the first half of 2019, adding that sales to countries in Africa and the Middle East also helped to provide sustainability to the industry. Last week, China suspended imports of two chicken meat processing units from Brazil, according to the Chinese customs authority, restricting shipments amid concerns about the new coronavirus. There are 6 units of Brazilian refrigerators have so far been prevented from exporting to China. Of this total, 5 were embargoed by the Chinese and 1 by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture. China is the largest buyer of pork, beef and chicken in Brazil. The Asian country has asked meat exporters to globally certify that their products are free of coronavirus, which BRF, JBS and other food processors in Brazil have already done. Also last week, THE PRESIDENT OF ABPA, Francisco Turra, said there was no technical reason for the suspensions. "There is no technical basis in this suspension. The product (meat) is getting there (in China) and being analyzed without problem of any nature... without Covid-19. But it's a way to give satisfaction to the Chinese consumer," Turra said on June 30.