Brazil produces significantly more chickens

South Americans soon to be world export champions

Brazil has significantly increased its chicken production in recent years, and there is no end in sight to the expansion. According to the Brazilian professional organization, production grew from 1989 million tons in 2002 to 2,0 million tons in 7,5. The average annual growth calculated over this period was 10,6 percent.

The growth trend continued in 2003, but flattened out. The production of chicken meat rose "only" by 3,8 percent to 7,8 million tons. This data is still preliminary, information from the US Department of Agriculture was also included in the calculation. For 2004, the US Ministry is forecasting slightly stronger growth in chicken production for Brazil, at five percent.

The lion's share of Brazilian chicken meat production remains domestic. Consumption increased steadily over the course of the 90s; per capita consumption of chicken meat rose from 12,7 kilograms per inhabitant in 1989 to 33,8 kilograms in 2002.

Growing export share

Despite the enormous growth in consumption, Brazil expanded its exports even more: while in 1989 "only" 11,9 percent of the chicken production was exported, by 2002 the proportion had risen to 21,3 percent. And in 2003 almost a quarter of production was exported. This corresponds to an average annual increase of 1989 percent for the period 2003 to 16,4.

For 2004, market experts again expected an increase in exports, namely by around twelve percent. With over 1,9 million tons of chicken meat, Brazil would then export more than the previous main supplier on the world market, the USA. The current situation on the world poultry market could ensure that this forecast will be exceeded. Because the Southeast Asian competition – especially Thailand – is certainly losing importance as a supplier due to the outbreak of avian influenza there. It is not yet clear whether the emergence of another avian influenza pathogen in the USA will have a noticeable impact on US exports.

For the European Union, Brazil is the largest non-European supplier; Deliveries here totaled 2003 tons in 285.000, which was 2,5 percent more than in 2002. But there are more important sales areas for the South American country: In the Middle East, Brazil sold almost a third of exports with 2003 tons in 593.000, an increase of 21,6 .27,5 percent compared to the previous year. Even clearer increases were recorded in Asia with plus 42,4 percent and in Africa with plus XNUMX percent.

Source: Bonn [ZmP]