Chicken exports last year totaled 3,576,521 metric tons valued at $4,274.30 million compared with 3,427,800 tons valued at $3,695.73 million in 2010, a 4.3-percent increase in tonnage and a 15.7 percent increase in value. Within the chicken category, chicken parts were up 3.6 percent in quantity and 15.7 percent in value.  Whole chicken exports increased 18.5 percent and 23.5 percent for quantity and value, respectively.  Prepared chicken and sausages experienced more balanced gains in quantity and value with quantity rising 10.2 percent and value moving upward by 10.6 percent.

Chicken exports during January-December 2010 and January-December 2011 were as follows:

U.S. Chicken Exports for the Period of January-December
Quantity Value
2010 2011 Change 2010 2011 Change
– metric tons – – percent – – million dollars – – percent –
Chicken parts 3,215,211 3,330,956 3.6 3,290.71 3,807.33 15.7
Whole chickens 135,955 161,133 18.5 146.17 180.59 23.5
Prepared chicken & sausages 76,634 84,432 10.2 258.85 286.39 10.6
Total 3,427,800 3,576,521 4.3 3,695.73 4,274.30 15.7

Chicken exports tonnage in December slipped when compared with a year earlier.  For the last month of last year, chicken exports were off 6.0 percent in quantity but up 7.0 percent in value compared with December 2010.  Chicken parts exports were down 3.7 percent in quantity but increased 9.5 percent in value.  Prepared chicken and sausages registered good gains in quantity and value while whole chickens sustained a significant downturn in both quantity and value.

Chicken exports in December 2010 and December 2011 were as follows:

U.S. Chicken Exports during the Month of December
Quantity Value
2010 2011 Change 2010 2011 Change
– metric tons – – percent – – million dollars – – percent –
Chicken parts 290,318 279,569 -3.7 297.83 326.03 9.5
Prepared chicken & sausages 6,384 7,652 19.9 21.96 26.04 18.6
Whole chickens 13,224 4,131 -68.8 14.37 5.37 -62.6
Total 309,926 291,352 -6.0 334.17 357.44 7.0

Chicken parts exports for the top 15 markets in December 2011 were off 15.3 percent in quantity and down 4.5 percent in value.  Mexico was the top destination with a 6.2-percent increase in quantity and a 30.7-percent increase in value.  Russia and Hong Kong, the second and third top parts markets, had significant decreases in both quantity and value.  Ten of the top 15 parts markets had increases in quantity while 11 had increases in value.  “Other countries” greatly out-performed the top 15 parts markets with increases of 40.5 and 69.2 percent for quantity and value, respectively, for December.

Chicken exports for December 2010 and December 2011 were as follows:

U.S. Chicken Parts for the Month of December
Destination Quantity Value
2010 2011 Change 2010 2011 Change
– metric tons – – percent – – million dollars – – percent –
Mexico 39,528 41,967 6.2 31.11 40.64 30.7
Russia 74,571 26,682 -64.2 74.45 29.41 -60.5
Hong Kong 39,577 25,913 -34.5 54.47 35.97 -34.0
Taiwan 10,891 12,326 13.2 10.22 13.83 35.4
Lithuania 7 11,595 165,542.9 .01 11.73 146,487.5
Cuba 5,571 11,517 106.7 3.98 11.00 176.0
Iraq 6,702 10,815 61.4 5.14 11.54 124.6
Canada 8,259 10,472 26.8 18.96 25.97 37.0
Korea, South 4,585 8,585 87.2 5.45 10.55 93.8
China 6,946 6,507 -6.3 8.27 8.06 -2.5
Vietnam 4,710 6,465 37.3 4.09 7.90 93.0
Angola 12,575 5,715 -54.6 11.92 6.69 -43.9
Guatemala 5,331 5,595 5.0 4.48 5.89 31.5
Haiti 5,674 5,414 -4.6 4.76 5.57 17.0
United Arab Emirates 5,156 5,380 4.3 4.14 5.86 41.5
Top 15 Markets 230,083 194,948 -15.3 241.44 230.61 -4.5
Other Countries 60,235 84,621 40.5 56.40 95.42 69.2
Grand Total 290,318 279,569 -3.7 297.83 326.03 9.5

Hong Kong was the top parts market last year taking 541,975 tons valued at $750.03 million, an increase of 24.5 percent in quantity and 20.5 percent in value.  Mexico followed as the second top parts market with a 2.6 percent gain in quantity and a 23.4-percent increase in value.  Although Russia was off 33.6 percent in quantity and down 21.0 percent in value, it nonetheless came in as the third top parts market in 2011.  Ten of the top 15 parts markets had increases in both quantity and value.

The top 15 parts markets last year accounted for 70 percent of the total quantity of parts exports and 72 percent of the total value.  Together these markets increased 1.1 percent in quantity and 11.3 percent in value when 2011 is compared with 2010.  “Other countries” were up relatively more with a 9.7 percent rise in quantity and a 28.8 percent increase in value.

Chicken parts exports during January-December 2010 and during January-December 2011 were as follows:

U.S. Chicken Parts for the Period of January-December
Destination Quantity Value
2010 2011 Change 2010 2011 Change
– metric tons – – percent – – million dollars – – percent –
Hong Kong 435,224 541,975 24.5 622.32 750.03 20.5
Mexico 424,129 435,026 2.6 327.43 404.21 23.4
Russia 321,111 213,362 -33.6 307.34 242.66 -21.0
Angola 139,999 146,269 4.5 129.54 163.65 26.3
Canada 104,369 118,453 13.5 269.61 267.13 -0.9
Korea, South 67,572 105,024 55.4 80.42 125.71 56.3
Taiwan 100,782 98,338 -2.4 104.13 108.83 4.5
China 103,780 95,914 -7.6 135.61 118.30 -12.8
Cuba 138,259 92,543 -33.1 99.79 89.24 -10.6
Georgia 87,080 92,155 5.8 67.82 92.36 36.2
Iraq 77,621 91,591 18.0 57.96 92.46 59.5
Vietnam 81,465 84,990 4.3 77.28 92.92 20.2
Lithuania 92,254 66,646 -27.8 82.55 67.64 -18.1
Philippines 54,583 66,306 21.5 49.77 62.74 26.1
Guatemala 60,118 65,142 8.4 51.15 63.36 23.9
Top 15 Markets 2,288,346 2,313,734 1.1 2,462.72 2,741.22 11.3
Other Countries 926,865 1,017,222 9.7 828.00 1,066.10 28.8
Grand Total 3,215,211 3,330,956 3.6 3,290.71 3,807.33 15.7