The organisation revealed that Brazil exported 50,437 tonnes of pork in July, a 14% increase on volumes in July 2012, while revenue was up 16.49% year-on-year to $126.13m. The average price of Brazilian pork was up 2.19% compared to July 2012.
ABIPECS said the July export volumes reflected the recovery of exports to Ukraine, which lifted its temporary ban on Brazilian pork in June, as well as the first shipments to Japan.
Pork exports for the first seven months of the year were down 7% year-on-year at 290,952 tonnes, with revenue down 4.94% to US$756.40m, but ABIPECS said that it expected full-year exports to reach 600,000t, a similar volume to last year.
Russia was the biggest market for Brazilian pork in January-July, accounting for 28.34% of total exports, followed by Hong Kong and Ukraine, with a 24.88% and 11.72% share respectively.
Pork exports to Russia increased by 13.04% to 13,400t in July, while value hit US$38.87m, 26.86% higher than July 2012. Exports to Hong Kong reached 11,537t in July, a 26.29% year-on-year increase. Sales to Ukraine increased by nearly 20% in July, although exports for the January to July period were down 61.4% as a result of the temporary ban imposed by Ukraine in March 2013.
ABIPECS president Rui Eduardo Vargas said he expected pork exports to be further boosted by the gradual evolution of the Japanese market, which opened to Brazilian pork exports in May. He added that gaining access to South Korea and resuming exports to South Africa were the main targets for the end of the year, and there were “good prospects for 2014”.