Bright prospects for Brazilian poultry exports are forecast by Fausto Ferraz, Cobb-Vantress business director for the country.
“Exports gained steam in the first quarter and are likely to continue growing,” he said. “The export record of 440,000 tonnes in July shows an even better prospect for the external market. We may finish 2015 at 5 million tonnes exported, which would result in less poultry meat for the domestic market.”
Fausto Ferraz points to one of Brazil’s competitive advantages in the global market — the health status of its birds, contrasting with avian influenza outbreaks in other regions of the world.
“Because of the excellent health status of our birds, the chances of gaining new markets remain favourable,” he stated. “As a result of recent AI outbreaks many countries impose import bans to avoid the spread of the disease, giving preference to suppliers in regions where no disease outbreaks were reported.”
Within Brazil the first quarter was marked by breeder placement similar to the same period of 2014, but with a slight increase in broiler chicks.
“We believe that the second quarter will remain equally stable. Beef, which is a natural competitor to chicken meat, does not show signs of any price decrease, and so chicken meat should continue to be the choice of the Brazilian consumer.”