U.S. pork exports are on a record pace for 2020.
July sales were down from one year ago, but up from June of this year. The National Pork Board says that exports have increased year-over-year to markets like China, Hong Kong, Canada, the Philippines, Vietnam and the Caribbean. The momentum is expected to carry through the rest of the year.
“Everything that we’re hearing is that we do expect demand to pick up as things start to normalize again. Supply chain disruptions have been really kind of fixed and we see that back on pace, and so everything we’re hearing is that some of the demand is starting to pick up globally,” Clay Eastwood, a marketing director with the Pork Board, states. “As usual, the U.S. is well positioned to fill the demand around the world.”
Eastwood says that pork demand has moderated, but there are still huge opportunities markets in Asia.
The Pork Checkoff partners with the U.S. Meat Export Federation to build international demand. These exports help drive value back to the producers.
“So far, for January through July of 2020, exports have accounted for over 30 percent of our total production, and so, when we really put that in perspective, for July’s exports the export value per head averaged just over $48 dollars per head,” Eastwood said. “For the year, we’re over $61 dollars per head of added export value back to the producer. We really are focused on anytime that we can export these products that otherwise may not have as much value here domestically, that’s where we’re really faced on the added value in terms of exports, and being able to get more money back to the producer, and ultimately, more money for hogs here in the U.S.”
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