US main importer of Chile’s chicken

The United States has become Chile’s main importer of chicken meat followed Mexico, China and the European Union.

According to the Chilean Poultry Producers Association (APA, acronym in Spanish), between January and August 2013 exports of chicken meat and their cuts to the United States showed an increase of 38% in value and 29% in volume over the same period last year.

Currently, this market represents 27% of Chile’s total chicken exports (source: Chilean Customs Authority/Agency). This is in part due to shipping products with higher added value, in many cases aimed directly at retail and secondly by the economic crisis in the EU.

Also Chile is one of the 3 countries eligible to export poultry to the United States, which has opened this market since 2007, and with zero tariffs from January 1, 2013. On this point, Pedro Béjares, attaché Chilean agriculture in the United States, said: “While the US market is highly competitive and a highly developed domestic industry, the market is huge with 314 million people, demanding about US$30,000 million worth of poultry meat annually. This leaves room for competitive players such as Chile, which addresses various niches with attractive, high-quality products. “

On the other hand, the US is the second largest exporter of chicken meat to Chile after Brazil. In the same period, noted above, imports of US chicken rose 36% compared to 2012, and the main products were chicken halves and quarters with bone and thighs.

With regard to products exported, breasts and boneless chicken are most are shipped to the United States. The growth in chicken exports to this market are a clear example of how the Chilean industry has been able to utilise the benefits of trade agreements, which are expected to continue to increase in the future.

Figure: Chile Chicken exports 2012