According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), chicken meat tends to become the most consumed animal protein by 2030, corresponding to nearly 41% of consumption worldwide.
Such projection is encouraging for Brazil, the world’s largest chicken meat exporter, which has recorded successive increases in poultry shipments.
Data from DataLiner, Datamar’s business intelligence system, show that Brazilian chicken exports reached 2,305,702 TEUs in the first six months of 2022, a volume 8.16% higher than in the first half of 2021. Operations like those have been only growing. From the first half of 2019, for example, the volume of chicken meatpackers sent abroad has gone 30.34% up.
Year-on-year, the total quantity of TEUs shipped from January to December 2021 (4,373,600 TEUs) was 6.7% higher than in 2020. Specialists project 2022 results will outdo both figures.
Please see the export figures of Brazilian chicken meat below:
Brazilian Chicken Exports | 2019 – 2022 | TEUs
Source: Dataliner
Record Revenue
In addition to the increased volume shipped, chicken meat exports have also generated growing revenues. According to the Brazilian Animal Protein Association, in August 2022 alone, the revenue obtained from chicken exports came close to US$ 922.1 million, an all-time record for the sector that exceeds 36.1% of the total achieved in 2021 (US$ 677.3 million). In the year-to-date (January to August), the growth observed in revenue amounted to 33.7%, with 6.542 billion in 2022 over USD 4.893 billion in the first eight months of 2021.
Destinations
China has long kept its position as Brazil’s international chicken sales destination. In the first seven months of 2022, the Asian nation received 343,132 TEUs of Brazilian chicken, nearly 13% of all exported volumes. Second in the ranking, the United Arab Emirates received 305,694 TEUs, equivalent to 11% of the total volume exported. Additionally, Japan ranks third with 9% of shipments and Saudi Arabia fourth, receiving 8% of Brazilian chicken exports. See below the leading importers of Brazilian chicken:
Main chicken export destinations | Jan – Jul 2022 | TEUs
Source: Dataliner
As per the chart above, poultry exports to countries in the Arab-speaking world have grown year after year due to the fact that many Brazilian meatpackers are licensed to export halal meat – items prepared in accordance with the precepts of Islam. Halal, in Arab, means legal, licit, permitted. The followers of the Muslim faith can only consume food produced in locations that follow the necessary rites and observe the conditions they impose. More than a mere concept, for Islam, this tradition speaks directly to a code of morality and ethics, which reinforces good behaviors regarding food, goods, and services.
See below the data for chicken export to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Brazilian chicken exports | UAE and Saudi Arabia | Jan 2019 – Jun 2022
Source: Dataliner
From Southern Brazil to the World
In line with the largest chicken meat-producing states in the country, Paraná and Santa Catarina, the ports of Paranaguá and Navegantes are Brazil’s main outlets for chicken abroad.
In the first half of 2022, poultry meat exports via Paranaguá reached 1,027,636 TEUs. At the same time, 455,743 TEUs were shipped via Navegantes. See below the share of chicken exports from each port in Brazil in 2022.
Participation of Brazilian ports in chicken exports | Jan to Jun 2022
Source: Dataliner
Meat cuts
Data from the DataLiner platform show that the most significant cuts exported by Brazilian meatpackers in the first seven months of 2022 are, in order, chicken thighs (47,014 TEUs), whole chicken (45,755 TEUs), and poultry in general (38,701 TEUs). See more below:
Fonte: DataLiner
Fun facts
Consumption: On average, every Brazilian consumes 43kg of chicken per year, including fresh and processed meat (whole chicken, specialty cuts, sausages, ready-made, etc.).
Export record: Brazil should set a new record by the end of 2022. According to the National Supply Company (Conab), shipments tend to increase by 6% this year and top 4.7 million tonnes. Brazil is, by far, the largest exporter of chicken meat in the world. The United States, for example, should export 3.38 million tonnes of the product this year, according to USDA data, and the European Union should reduce the volume of chicken destined for the foreign market by almost 10%, with an export forecast of 1.67 million tonnes.
