Brazil’s pork shipments reach new high on strong Asian demand

Brazilian pork exports reached their highest-ever volume for a first half in 2026, as the industry increased overseas shipments to offset weaker demand in the domestic market.

Brazil exported 785,400 metric tons of pork between January and June, according to foreign trade data from the Secretariat of Foreign Trade, or Secex, analyzed by the Center for Advanced Studies in Applied Economics, known as Cepea. It was the largest first-half volume since the data series began in 1997.

Shipments rose 10% from the first half of 2025, when exports totaled 713,000 metric tons. Compared with the second half of last year, when Brazil shipped 779,600 metric tons, exports increased 0.7%.

The figures underscore the importance of overseas markets as an outlet for Brazilian production. With domestic demand weakening, companies have directed larger volumes abroad to ease excess supply at home.

Brazilian pork exports totaled 131,100 metric tons in June, up 2.5% from May. Shipments were down 3.3% from June 2025, however, reflecting a high comparison base, as the same month last year recorded one of the largest monthly export volumes of 2025.

Pork shipments have historically been lower in the first half of the year than in the second. In 2026, however, exports exceeded 110,000 metric tons in every month from January through June, an unprecedented result in the Secex data series.

According to recent Datamar data, Brazil exported 35,219 TEUs of pork between January and May 2026. The chart below provides an overview of the figures recorded in recent years.

Pork Exports | Jan 2023 – May 2026 | TEUs

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The performance leaves room for the industry to increase exports further during the second half of the year, provided international demand remains firm and Brazilian pork stays competitive against supplies from other major producing countries.

The Philippines was the leading destination for Brazilian pork in the first half, importing 214,000 metric tons, up 32% from the same period of 2025.

The country’s purchases alone nearly matched the combined 217,000 metric tons imported by Japan, China and Chile, which ranked as the second-, third- and fourth-largest buyers of Brazilian pork, respectively.

Cepea had been monitoring the Philippines’ growing importance since the beginning of the year. Expectations of stronger purchases were confirmed as recurring outbreaks of African swine fever continued to affect domestic production and increase the country’s reliance on imports.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Brazil is now the Philippines’ largest pork supplier, accounting for 66% of the country’s imports.

The first-half record consolidates exports as one of the main sources of support for Brazil’s pork industry in 2026. In addition to absorbing part of domestic production, stronger shipments are expanding Brazil’s presence in strategic Asian markets and could affect the balance between supply, domestic prices and profit margins across the pork supply chain in the coming months.

Source: Cepea

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