Vietnam authorizes two additional JBS Brazilian plants to export beef

Vietnam has approved two additional Brazilian beef plants for its list of exporters. JBS slaughterhouses located in Naviraí, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Senador Canedo, Goiás, received authorization on Monday (Dec. 15). With this, Brazil now has four plants authorized to sell beef cuts to the Vietnamese market, all belonging to JBS — including the Mozarlândia and Goiânia units, also in Goiás.

Despite the progress, the slow pace of approvals has generated dissatisfaction among meatpackers. Since March, around 100 plants have already submitted the required documentation and are still awaiting approval from Vietnamese authorities. Industry interest is high, as Vietnam represents a potential market estimated at 300,000 tonnes per year, equivalent to nearly 10% of Brazil’s beef exports.

Access to the Vietnamese market was officially granted in March 2025 as part of an agreement that, in return, allowed Brazil to open its market to Vietnamese tilapia imports. This move drew criticism and resistance from Brazil’s domestic fish farming sector.

At the time, JBS also announced a US$100 million investment to build two industrial units in Vietnam, aimed at strengthening its presence in the region. The plants are expected to process beef, pork, and poultry, using Brazilian raw materials to supply both the Vietnamese market and other Southeast Asian countries.

In November, Notícias Agrícolas interviewed Paulo Mustefaga, executive president of the Brazilian Association of Meatpacking Plants (Abrafrigo), about the Vietnamese market during the Pecuária e Mercado program.

According to Mustefaga, the agreement signed between Brazil and Vietnam was welcomed following the presidential mission, but has yet to translate into concrete advances. So far, only one Brazilian company is authorized to export to the Asian country, highlighting the need for continued negotiations to ensure the agreements are effectively implemented, and additional companies can access the Vietnamese market.

Mustefaga also stressed that while having a large buyer is positive, excessive concentration of exports in a single market poses risks to the sector. Currently, around 60% of Brazilian beef exports are destined for a single market, China, leaving the supply chain more vulnerable to commercial changes, sanitary barriers, or political decisions.

For this reason, market diversification — through the opening and effective implementation of new agreements and plant approvals — is considered strategic to ensure greater stability, predictability, and security for Brazilian exports.

Source: Trading News

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