Brazilian Poultry Exports Up 9% - BRAZIL - Brazilian poultry exports rose over 9 percent in volume in 2004, while export revenues shot up 46 percent due to rising world prices, local poultry exporters said on Monday.

The bird flu strains that hit Asian and North American poultry exporters have allowed Brazil to clean up on its disease-free chicken exports in the first three months of this year, Brazil's Poultry Exporters Association stated.

"We have never had prices at this level," said Julio Cardoso, the association's president. He is also the president of Brazil's third largest poultry exporter Seara. "The average value rose in all product segments."

Brazil exported 537,300 tons of poultry by March 31 this year, an increase of over 9 percent from the same period last year. But trade revenue over the same period has risen 46 percent to $569.8 million.

Cardoso said Brazil would continue as the world's leading chicken exporter in terms of revenue over the next 12 months ending in March.

In terms of export volumes, however, the United States still leads after shipping 2.23 million tons in 2003 as compared to Brazil's 1.92 million tons. But the United States was hit by bird flu and caused its shipments to decline.

"We should take the lead in volume in the second quarter (of the year) as well," Cardoso said.

Being one of Brazil's new markets, Japan is largely responsible for the rise in export revenues from the poultry sector.

Cardoso said Japan has been buying highly valued cuts of chicken since they stopped importing from Thailand and China. The poultry industries in these two countries were devastated after the bird flu outbreak in late 2003.

Shipments for Japan rose 85 percent to 68,000 tons in the first three months of 2004.

"Everything indicates that sales to Japan will continue to expand in the second quarter," Cardoso said.

But the association expected the flu to be fully contained in most Asian countries by the second half of this year, which would imply that "Brazil will suffer a bit," added Cardoso.

The association predicts that exports will grow 10 percent in 2004 to 2.11 million tons, with revenues climbing around 20 percent on year.

Source: eFeedLink - 21st April 2004