Chicken exports to Middle East decline

The volume of chicken meat exported to Middle Eastern countries in March, shortly after the outbreak of war in the region, declined compared with the same month last year, while corn shipments increased, according to data released by Brazil’s Foreign Trade Secretariat (SECEX). The region is a key market for both products.

The report compiled shipment data for Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Israel, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, and Egypt.

Exports of 40 categories of poultry meat and offal to those countries fell 21% year over year in March, dropping from 138,000 tonnes to 108,000 tonnes. There were no shipments of these products to Iran in either March 2025 or March 2026.

By contrast, corn exports to the 15 Middle Eastern countries rose 24%, reaching 907,000 tonnes. Shipments to Iran—the largest buyer of Brazilian corn—nearly came to a halt, falling from 304,000 tonnes in March 2025 to just over 1,000 tonnes in March this year.

Meanwhile, volumes shipped to Egypt surged 1,171.5%, and Brazil exported 26,000 tonnes to Iraq, a market that had received no Brazilian corn shipments a year earlier.

Total exports of poultry meat and offal rose 6.9% to 468,700 tonnes, while overall corn exports increased 12.8% to 983,000 tonnes.

Source: Valor International

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