Poultry Export Volume Falls as Value Rises

U.S. poultry exports declined 4.4 percent in volume but increased 0.2 percent in value last year despite trade frictions with Russia and China, the two largest markets for U.S. chicken, the Agriculture Department’s Foreign Agricultural Service reported.

Poultry exports totaled 3.7 million tons with a value of $4.2 billion.

“We would not normally tout declines in exports, but the fact that our exports declined so little, and the value of our chicken and turkey exports actually increased is a testament to our industry’s resilience and adaptability in finding new markets,” said Jim Sumner, president of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council.

By The Numbers: U.S. Poultry Exports

The U.S. shipped virtually no poultry at all to Russia for the first eight months of 2010 because of Russia’s import ban on U.S. product sanitized with chlorine. China’s anti-dumping and countervailing cases against U.S. chicken stopped almost all shipments for the year. Russia has historically been the largest market for U.S. chicken, with China close behind and gaining.

Broiler exports to China last year were 55,821 tons, valued at $64.4 million, both down 83 percent. Shipments to Russia were 331,540 tons at $317.3 million, down 55 and 58 percent, respectively. Increased exports to markets such as Hong Kong, Angola, Mexico and others helped to make up the shortfall in shipments to Russia and China.

The combined value of U.S. exports of table eggs and processed egg products set a new year-on-year record in 2010, while rising to the second highest total quantity in history. Total U.S. egg export value last year increased nearly 4 percent over 2009, hitting an all-time high of $173.2 million. Total egg export quantity for the year climbed to the equivalent of 206.1 million dozen, up almost 8 percent.

-- Contact Joseph Bonney at jbonney@joc.com.