Brazil is expected to produce 11.365 million tons of beef (in carcass equivalent) in 2024, according to information released by the GAIN Report, by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The volume should exceed the 10.950 million tons recorded in 2023.
To reach this volume, the country should slaughter 46.15 million cattle in 2024, above the 44.41 million animals registered in 2023. USDA forecasts that Brazil will export 2.955 million tons of beef, exceeding the 2.898 million tons shipped last year. Domestic consumption is expected to be 8.465 million tons this year, ahead of last year’s 8.107 million.
In the case of pork, the report predicts production of 4.475 million tons. To reach the volume, the country should slaughter 47.64 million pigs this year, above the 45.99 million animals registered last year.
The country is expected to export 1.5 million tons of pork, exceeding the 1.414 million tons shipped in 2023. Domestic consumption is expected to be 3.177 million tons, ahead of the 3.063 million tons demanded last year.
February exports
In February this year, Brazilian exports of fresh beef (frozen and chilled) rose 41.7%, compared to the same month last year, to 179.1 thousand tons, according to data released by the Secretariat of Foreign Trade (Secex) of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC).
Revenue from exports increased by 32% to USD 810.8 million, although the average price per ton exported was still below that recorded in February last year. The average price of beef shipped in February 2024 was USD 4,526.7 per ton, compared to USD 4,854.3 per ton in February 2023.
The volume of fresh pork exported in February was 84.4 thousand tons, 20.9% above that shipped a year earlier. Brazilian protein exports generated revenue of USD 190.8 million last month, compared to USD 172.1 million in the same month of 2023.
The average price of fresh pork exported in February was USD 2,260.5 per ton, below the average price of USD 2,465.5 per ton in February of the year past.