Last week, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) released the September numbers concerning exports of U.S. pork and beef. And according to a story from Rusty Halvorson, they were higher year-over-year.
USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom says momentum in September for pork was driven by gains in Mexico, Central America, Australia and the Philippines.
“So I think really the theme on pork is that the broad-based initiative growth globally, but especially in the emerging regions, is really a bright spot. Without a doubt, we are on a pace to set a new volume and value record and maybe beat it substantially. So yes, things going into the fourth quarter will continue to be on the same pace.”
September pork exports totaled 238,047 metric tons (mt), up 8% from a year ago, while value increased 6% to $685.1 million. Through the first three quarters of the year, pork exports were 5% above last year’s pace at 2.23 million mt, with value up 7% to $6.36 billion.
With the exception of China/Hong Kong, September beef exports trended higher than a year ago in all major Asian markets, while demand remained strong in Mexico and shipments to Central America were the largest in 18 months.
“Tourism is booming in both Japan and Korea, and we’re seeing the benefits. Also on the beef side – Mexico very strong month in September, almost 20,000 tons, up 20%. This is really encouraging, because with the higher cutout values, the Mexicans are really turning into value buyers. They understand our quality. Price is not the first thing that comes to mind for them, quality is. And if you also look at Central America, same as the pork side, Central America on beef, continues to perform well, up 15% in the month of September.”
Exports of U.S. beef totaled 103,980 mt in September, up 5% year-over-year, while export value climbed 6% to $843.8 million. January-September exports increased 5% in value to $7.82 billion, despite volume falling 2% to 960,814 mt.
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