Brazil expands meat market with new trade opportunity in Panama

BRAZIL – The Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA) has announced a significant development for Brazilian meat exports, following a recent decision by the Panamanian Food Agency to open its market to Brazilian chicken and pork. 

This move, confirmed by a press release from ABPA, is the result of a sectoral request submitted by the Brazilian Government in 2023 and forwarded to Panamanian authorities.

Panama, a country with a population of 4.4 million and one of the highest per capita chicken consumption rates in Latin America—approximately 54 kilograms per person in 2023, according to Instituto Latinoamericano del Pollo (ILP)—has also seen pork consumption of 12.6 kilograms per capita, as reported by FAOSTAT. 

In 2023, Panama imported 15,500 tons of chicken meat and 17,000 tons of pork, predominantly from the United States and Canada, as per data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

The new market access for Brazilian products is expected to diversify the Panamanian protein market and complement local production, which amounted to 218,400 tons of chicken meat in 2023, as indicated by ILP.

Ricardo Santin, the president of ABPA, emphasized that Brazil’s entry into the Panamanian market aligns with its strategy to complement local production and expand product offerings.

 He praised the efforts of Minister Carlos Fávaro and his team for their role in securing this opportunity, which is seen as another step forward in enhancing Brazil’s international trade relations in poultry and pig farming.

This development comes at a time when Brazil’s meat export sector is experiencing varied results. 

In July, Brazilian chicken meat exports rose by 7.3% to 463,600 tons compared to the previous year, with revenues reaching US$889.2 million—a 3.6% increase from July 2023. 

Despite this, year-to-date figures show a slight decline in export volumes, with a total of 3.052 million tons shipped, down by 0.3% from the previous year. 

The cumulative revenue for this period also fell by 8.33%, amounting to US$5.525 billion.

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