Middle East crisis hits Brazil poultry exports

Brazilian poultry meat exports fell year-on-year by nearly 25% in April 2026, directly affected by the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. The region is one of the main destinations for Brazilian chicken meat, and geopolitical instability significantly reduced demand for imports.

Direct impact on export volumes

The decline in exports reflects the disruption of trade routes and weaker demand from regional buyers amid the economic uncertainty caused by the conflict. Countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Persian Gulf markets account for a significant share of Brazil’s chicken exports.

Container throughput data obtained and processed by Datamar shows that, in the January-April 2026 period, Brazil exported 28,237 TEUs of chicken meat to the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The chart below shows the performance of Brazilian exports of the product to GCC countries — Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Oman — in the first four months of recent years:

Chicken Exports | GCC | Jan-Apr | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

The 25% year-on-year drop recorded in April was one of the steepest monthly declines for the sector in recent years. The volume that was not exported is putting pressure on Brazilian meatpackers to redirect inventories to other markets, increasing domestic supply and weighing on chicken prices in Brazil.

Meatpackers seek to diversify destinations

With demand from the Middle East declining, Brazilian exporters are stepping up negotiations with alternative markets in Asia, Africa and Europe. Diversifying destinations is the main strategy to offset the loss of sales volume to the conflict-affected region.

Cold front and rain mark early June in the countryside

Brazil’s poultry sector is the world’s largest exporter of chicken meat, a position that requires constant adaptation to global geopolitical swings. The current crisis highlights the sector’s dependence on concentrated markets and reinforces the need to diversify export destinations.

Outlook for the coming months

The outlook for the second quarter of 2026 remains uncertain. The continuation of the conflict in the Middle East keeps pressure on trade flows. Sector analysts are monitoring potential ceasefire agreements and the reopening of logistics routes as possible triggers for a recovery in exports.

Domestically, the high supply of chicken is likely to keep prices under pressure in the short term. That could support demand in the domestic market, but it reduces margins for producers integrated with major processors.

Source: Space Money

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