Broiler exports are running at near-record levels thanks to a weak dollar and diversified demand, an analyst told the Chicken Marketing Seminar held by the National Chicken Council and National Poultry and Food Distributors Association in Squaw Valley, California, this week.
Exports are just below the record level set in 2008, when exporters also benefited from a weak dollar, said Eric Scholer of Express Markets, Inc., Analytics. Seven billion pounds of broiler products were exported in 2008, he noted.
- Erin Borror, U.S. Meat Export Federation
The market today is less dominated by large receiving countries since Russia and China have been restricting imports, he noted. The volume previously going to Russia and China is being taken by a variety of countries, Scholer said.
On the red meat side, the United States has regained its standing as the world’s largest beef exporter, said Erin Borror, economist with the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Beef exports in 2010 totaled 1.067 million metric tons valued at $4.079 billion, surpassing the record set in 2003. USMEF is forecasting 2011 exports of 1.16 MMT valued at $4.7 billion, she said.
Exports to Korea and Japan have set the pace for the beef market, she said. The weak dollar has been helpful to exporters of beef and pork also, she said.
