After announcing the opening of its market to four Brazilian agricultural products this week, China is expected to finalize protocols for importing pork offal and fish from Brazil soon, offering high potential for Brazilian producers. The information was reported by Reuters.
On Wednesday, the Brazilian government announced the signing of trade agreements for the export of fresh grapes, sesame, sorghum, and fish products such as meal and oil to China. The agreements were made during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Brasília.
According to Reuters, agreements involving pork offal and fish were not signed during the meeting because some technical analyses were not completed in time.
In the case of pork offal, this market opening would be “disruptive” for Brazil’s pork production chain, as these are products highly valued in China but not commonly consumed by Brazilian consumers. The initial focus would be on red offal, including hearts, livers, kidneys, lungs, brains, tongues, and esophagi.
The technical issues for finalizing the protocol include China’s recognition that states other than Santa Catarina are free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination.
The inclusion of Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul—two states recognized by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) but not yet by China—could increase the supply of offal for export to China.
Brazil, the world’s fourth-largest pork exporter, shipped approximately 1.2 million tons of pork in 2023. However, offal exports totaled just over 100,000 tons globally, according to official data.
Meanwhile, the protocol for exporting Brazilian fish to China is expected to involve extractive fishing, a market that could generate up to USD 1 billion, according to Reuters. Similar to the pork offal agreement, the fish export protocol is among the closest to being signed.