Thailand’s poultry exports remain promising

Thailand’s chicken exports should remain promising next year, despite the faltering global economic outlook.

Exports are forecast to be worth between $1.65 billion and $1.73 billion in 2011 compared with $1.57 billion this year, a 10% rise from a year earlier, said Anan Sirimongkolkasem, president of the Thai Broiler Processing Exporters Association.

Thailand is expected to ship 410,000 to 420,000 tonnes of poultry this year, 360,000 tonnes of which would be cooked products and the remainder frozen raw chicken. Anan said raw chicken exports were better than expected this year, with further growth seen next year because of a larger global population demanding more food.

In 2003, before the bird flu outbreak, Thailand exported 98,231 tonnes of raw chicken meat to the EU. Thailand currently ships only cooked chicken products to the EU, which has an import quota. The quota is 252,643 tonnes: 160,033 tonnes of processed chicken and 92,610 tonnes of salted poultry.

EU inspectors are scheduled to visit Thailand in March to review preventive animal health measures and animal welfare standards as well as re-evaluate possible reinstatement of raw chicken meat imports.

Thailand has been flu-free since November 2008.