Agricultural News
Export Sales- Value and Volume of Beef, Pork and Lamb All Higher in January
Wed, 02 Apr 2014 08:24:17 CDT
U.S. beef, pork and lamb exports all opened the new year on a positive note, although market conditions suggest 2014 could be a challenging year for U.S. red meat exports, according to statistics released by the USDA and compiled by USMEF.
Beef exports continued the strong performance set in 2013, rising 13% in volume and 16% in value for the month of January, bolstered by double-digit growth to Mexico, Japan and Hong Kong. Pork exports rose 3% in volume and 2% in value for the month, driven by growth to Mexico, while lamb exports increased 7 percent in volume and 9 percent in value.
While price is just one of many factors that affect red meat trade, higher U.S. pork and beef prices will create challenges for American red meat exports in the months ahead, particularly in markets where customers are more price sensitive.
"In pork, there are a number of recognized challenges on the production side as well as unresolved access issues," said Philip Seng, USMEF president and CEO. "In addition, we are also seeing increased competition in the form of higher marketing budgets and favorable prices for the EU, Brazil and Canada."
Seng also noted that with U.S. beef production expected to drop 5 percent this year, and already running below last year's levels, it will be challenging to maintain export levels.
Specifically- about the month's Beef sales:
Strong performances in the key markets of Mexico, Japan and Hong Kong, plus solid growth in Central/South America (Chile is the top destination, but with triple-digit growth to Colombia) offset a drop in exports to Canada (down 26 percent in volume and 21 percent in value), partially driven by the weaker Canadian dollar, as well as declines in the value of exports to the Middle East and volume to South Korea. In addition, the reemerging Indonesian market was the eighth-largest single-country destination by volume as exports continued the strong pace set back in October following improved market access conditions.
January exports of 97,824 mt were up 13%. Export value rose 16% year-over-year to $514.5 million. Exports accounted for 13% of total beef production (muscle cuts plus variety meat), and 10 percent of muscle cuts alone increases of 2 and 1 percent, respectively. The export value per head of fed slaughter was $219.73, up $14.79 from last year.
Specifically- about the month's Pork sales:
Solid export growth to Mexico and the largest export volume to Japan since October 2012 helped push U.S. pork exports up 3% in volume (191,561 mt) and 2% in value ($535.6 million). Sales to the Hong Kong/China region were steady in volume versus last January, but rose 15 percent in value. The Central/South America region was up sharply, driven by triple-digit growth to Columbia, while both Oceania and the ASEAN region posted solid increases.
Pork exports accounted for 25.5% of total pork production and 21% of muscle cuts alone, up slightly from January of 2013. Export value averaged $54.70 per head, up $2.12 from last year.
Top-performing pork export markets in January were:
Specifically- about the month's Lamb sales:
Lamb exports for January increased 7 percent in volume to 1,056 mt and 9 percent in value to $2.7 million. Mexico remains the top lamb destination, purchasing 913 mt valued at $1.5 million. The Caribbean, Canada and the Middle East follow in volume, although Central/South America is emerging as a market, largely driven by sales to Panama: 13 mt (up 550%) valued at $96,000 (up 243%).
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