US poultry exports climb in February

February exports of US poultry meat increased by more than 15 percent in quantity and nearly 18 percent in value over the same month in 2010, according to trade data released last week by the Foreign Agricultural Service.

Export quantity of all poultry meat in February reached 290,261 metric tonnes, up 15%, with a value of $338.7 million, up 18%. Cumulative January-February poultry export quantity rose by 11% to 554,769 tonnes, while value increased by 13% to $648.5 million over combined totals for the two months last year.

Meanwhile, US turkey exports set an all-time record for both quantity and value in February, and the export value of US chicken paws was also a record for the month.

Broiler meat
For broiler meat (excluding chicken paws), February shipments totaled 233,112 tons valued at $245.5 million, up 12 and 14 percent respectively, over February 2010, despite declines in exports to several markets, including Vietnam, China, Cuba, Angola, and Congo. U.S. exporters increased shipments to numerous other markets, including Mexico, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea and Iraq, which helped to drive the overall increase.

US turkey exports
For US turkey, February exports were 24,123 tons valued at $41.5 million, up 37 and 35%, respectively. Both quantity and value were records for the month of February, thanks to increased shipments to Mexico, China and Taiwan.

Exports to Mexico – the top US turkey market – climbed to 13,672 tons valued at $26.1 million, up 44 and 40% year on year, respectively. Shipments to China, the second leading market, reached 3,711 tons at $3.8 million, up 134 and 143%, respectively. Exports to other important export markets such as Taiwan, Canada, Bahamas, and Jamaica also increased significantly.

Table eggs
For table eggs, exports for February 2011 were 3.82 million dozen, valued at $3.211 million, down 10 and 7% year on year, respectively, which is mainly attributable to decreased shipments to Canada, the U.A.E. and Israel. Increased shipments to other export markets such as Hong Kong, Mexico, and the EU-27 helped boost the total.

Cumulative exports of US table eggs for the first two months of 2011 were 7.808 million, down 3% from the same period a year earlier, while cumulative export value was $6.639 million, up 2% year on year. Of the total shipments, 83% or 6.453 million dozen were shipped to the top five export markets, namely Hong Kong, UAE, Canada, Netherlands Antilles, and Mexico.

Table: US exports of table eggs and egg products (in shell-egg equivalents) in January-February since 1990. Source: USDA/FAS GATS database.

Source: The USA Poultry & Egg Export Council