Brazilian egg exports to Arab nations are growing

International appetites have driven up egg production in Brazil. Today, the volume of eggs that leaves Brazil to go abroad is still small and represents only 1% of the total produced. The increase in these shipments, however, has skyrocketed in recent months.

Data from the Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA) show that exports of Brazilian fresh and processed eggs closed the first quarter of this year with 3,770 tons shipped abroad. This volume is 142% higher than what was sold to other countries in the same period of 2020 when 1550 tons were exported.

Brazilian Egg Exports – Middle East vs. Other Destinations  – per quarter | Q1 2016 to Q1 2021 | TEU

Today, nobody in the world eats more Brazilian eggs than the Arabs. The United Arab Emirates was the main destination for Brazilian egg exports, receiving 73% of the total shipped by Brazil in the first quarter of this year. Japan and Sierra Leone are also among the main buyers. Other closer destinations, however, have recently opened up, and this should affect shipments.

In early April, the Ministry of Agriculture signed agreements with Argentina and Chile, publishing international health certificates that authorize Brazil’s export of fresh eggs. Producers from any state in Brazil will be able to sell to Argentina. In the case of Chile, authorizations have been given so far to producers in Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and São Paulo.

“Today, it is even more interesting to sell abroad because of the exchange rate situation, but this is not so simple. We are talking about eggs; there is a strict process, the product has to be refrigerated, they are often sold fresh. So, there are still few who work in this area”, says Juliana Ferraz, egg market analyst at the Center for Advanced Studies in Applied Economics (CEPEA) at the University of São Paulo.

Ricardo Santin, president of ABPA, believes that growth rates should follow the same trajectory this year. “We have been working abroad for some time. We created the Brazilian Egg brand with Apex (Brazilian Export Promotion Agency). The results are beginning to show.”

Based on the export volume of other animal proteins, there is still a long way to go. Today, only 1% of Brazilian eggs are exported, compared to more than 20% of Brazilian pork, more than 20% of Brazilian beef, and more than 30% of Brazilian chickens.

Source: Estadão

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