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United States pork exports reached 226,293 metric tons (mt) in August, up slightly from a year ago and the largest since November 2021, while export value climbed 4% to $659.6 million. Through August, pork exports were 15% below last year at 1.72 million mt, valued at $4.9 billion (down 13%).
August pork exports were once again led by Mexico, where 2022 shipments remain on a record pace. While August export volume (81,178 mt) was up only slightly from a year ago, export value increased 20% to $195 million.
Fueled by strengthening demand for pork variety meat, pork exports to China/Hong Kong totaled 55,695 mt in August, up 14% from a year ago, while export value climbed 31% to $137.8 million. Most of the volume increase was in the variety meat category, for which exports were record large (34,831 mt, up 18%). But muscle cut exports were also 7% above last year at 20,864 mt, the highest since June 2021.
South Korea recently opened a duty-free quota on imported pork – a move that mainly benefited Canadian, Mexican and Brazilian pork, because imports from the U.S., the European Union and Chile already enter Korea at zero duty. While August volume was the smallest in six months, U.S. exports to Korea were still sharply higher than the small year-ago total, climbing 37% to 13,568 mt. Export value reached $48.6 million, up 34%.
Fueled by record exports to China/Hong Kong (see above), global exports of U.S. pork variety meat were the third largest on record in August at 52,958 mt, up 14% from a year ago. Export value was the second largest on record at $118.3 million, up 12%. In addition to China/Hong Kong, August exports increased year-over-year to the Philippines, Vietnam, Canada, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Korea, Guatemala, Honduras and Taiwan.
October 6, 2022/ USMEF/ United States.
https://www.usmef.org
