Following negotiations by President Jair Bolsonaro and Minister Tereza Cristina during a trip to China last month, Chinese authorities have approved seven Santa Catarina establishments to export pigs.
The sites are refrigeration plants that are allowed to export six types of pig products: feet, tongue, muzzle, mask, ear and tail. The establishments are BRF (Campos Novos), Pamplona Alimentos (Presidente Getúlio and Rio do Sul units), Central Aurora Food Cooperative (Joaçaba and Chapecó units) and Seara Alimentos (São Miguel do Oeste and Itapiranga units).
“Exports can start immediately. Measure will move the economy of Santa Catarina and generate more income for farmers,”said the minister when announcing the news on Twitter earlier this week.
According to a preliminary estimate by the Department of Commerce and International Relations of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, the opening of the market for these products could be worth US$2bn next year.
China has been on a roll recently when it comes to granting approval for exports. It finalised approval for Irish beef plants last month while six sites in the UK were approved to export trotters and a £230m trade deal for beef exports from the UK was also finalised.
It also reportedly lifted a ban on poultry and poultry products from Spain and Slovakia.