More chicken meat on the global food plate
Worldwide consumption of broiler meat is steadily increasing. In 2006, a total volume of 58.95 million metric tonnes (mmt) and this year global consumption could reach 59.52 mmt.
Coming from a total consumption of 52.90 mmt in 2003 consumption of chicken meat steadily increased through 54.15 mmt in 2004 to 57.43 mmt in 2005.
Despite the outbreaks of bird flu in several parts of the world, last year consumption reached 58.95 mmt. It is expected that continuous growth will lift consumption to 59.52 mmt this year and that the threshold of 60 mmt will be passed next year.
Increase in production
Parallel to the increased consumption, worldwide production of chicken meat grows too. Production in 2003 reached 54.28 mmt, in 2004 grew to 55.95 mmt and 59.16 mmt in 2005. Last year 60.36 mmt of chicken meat was produced.
In 2007, a further increase to a total global production of 60.97 mmt is to be expected.
It is not so strange that the US is the largest producer of chicken meat as well. With a total production of 16.04 mmt the volume significantly surpassed the US consumption volume.
China, on the contrary, has difficulties meeting its demand. Last year it produced 10.35 mmt, closely followed by Brazil with 9.36 mmt, which only has a national consumption of 6.85 mmt. This makes Brazil to the largest export of chicken meat in the world (2.50 mmt in 2006).
With a total volume of 7.63 mmt in the EU production also exceeds consumption. Last year the EU exported 770,000 tonnes of chicken meat making it the third largest exporter behind Brazil and the US (2.39 mmt). At the same time the EU imported 525,000 tonnes.
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