USMEF: April pork exports largest in nearly three years
Fueled by a record performance in leading market Mexico, pork exports totaled 277,910 metric tons (mt) in April, up 14% from a year ago and the fifth largest on record. Export value climbed 18% to $778.8 million, the third highest on record. For January through April, exports increased 8% to 1.04 million mt, valued at $2.89 billion – up 10% from last year’s record pace.
"While Mexico was definitely the pacesetter in a tremendous month for pork exports, it was only part of the story", said USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom. "Demand continued to build in South Korea, Central America, Colombia, Australia and the ASEAN, and we saw very encouraging growth in Japan. It was also great to see export value per head above the $70 mark for the second consecutive month".
Pork exports to Mexico reached new heights in April, climbing 34% from a year ago to a record 107,594 mt, as Mexico’s buying surged following the Easter holiday. Export value soared 61% to $240.5 million – also a record. For January through April, exports to Mexico achieved double-digit growth over last year’s record pace, surging 11% in volume to 388,855 mt and 18% in value to $815.6 million.
Mexico’s domestic pork prices are strong, and poultry and pork production have been impacted by productivity challenges, limiting availability of domestic product at a time of strong demand and economic growth.
South Korea continued to show strong demand for U.S. pork in April, with exports reaching 26,286 mt – up 23% from a year ago and the fourth largest on record. Export value totaled $88.9 million, up 33% and the third largest on record. These results pushed January-April exports to Korea 44% above last year’s pace at 95,738 mt, with value soaring 51% to $316.5 million. As USMEF noted last month, Korea has surpassed Canada as the fourth largest export destination for U.S. pork, trailing only Mexico, China and Japan. U.S. share of Korea’s pork imports has increased from 29.5% last year to 37% in 2024.
April pork exports to Japan were the largest in two years at 34,569 mt, up 3% from a year ago, while value increased 5% to $138.7 million. Through April, exports to Japan remained slightly below last year’s pace at 123,042 mt, with value steady at $496.4 million. While the persistently weak yen continues to weigh on Japan’s demand for imported meat, domestic pork prices jumped in May, up 11% from last year, and inventories of imported pork at the end of April were down almost 15% from a year ago. Japanese customers have also been looking to U.S. pork to offset limited availability from the European Union.
Other January-April results for U.S. pork exports include:
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