Brazil records its highest-ever first-half chicken meat exports
June shipments rose 40.6% year on year as Brazil expanded sales to key international markets.
BRAZIL – Brazil exported 482,800 tonnes of chicken meat in June 2026, marking a 40.6% increase from the 343,400 tonnes shipped during the same month in 2025, according to the Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA).
Export earnings climbed to US$985.5 million in June, representing a 54.7% rise compared with the US$637 million generated during the corresponding month last year.
The strong June performance helped Brazil achieve its highest ever chicken meat export volumes and revenue for the first half of a calendar year, with shipments between January and June reaching 2.936 million tonnes, up 12.9% from 2.600 million tonnes exported during the same period in 2025.
Revenue generated during the first six months of the year totalled US$5.7 billion, an increase of 17% compared with US$4.871 billion recorded in the first half of 2025.
China remained the leading destination for Brazilian chicken meat in June after importing 50,100 tonnes, followed by Japan with 46,600 tonnes, the United Arab Emirates with 46,200 tonnes, Saudi Arabia with 33,100 tonnes, the European Union with 28,000 tonnes, South Africa with 26,300 tonnes, Mexico with 25,400 tonnes, South Korea with 18,500 tonnes, the Philippines with 12,500 tonnes and Singapore with 12,000 tonnes.
Export growth varied significantly across markets, with shipments increasing by 12,248.8% to China, 250.7% to the European Union, 946.3% to South Africa, 728.8% to Mexico, 7,819.7% to South Korea and 330.2% to the Philippines, while exports to Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Singapore declined by 0.9%, 5.1%, 1.0% and 19.4%, respectively.
ABPA said the exceptionally high growth rates recorded in several destinations were partly due to a low comparison base in June 2025, when temporary import restrictions were introduced after a single outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza on a commercial poultry farm in Brazil, an incident that has since been resolved.
Among Brazil’s exporting states, Paraná remained the largest exporter with 199,300 tonnes shipped in June, followed by Santa Catarina with 103,300 tonnes, Rio Grande do Sul with 56,700 tonnes, São Paulo with 29,900 tonnes and Goiás with 29,400 tonnes.
ABPA president Ricardo Santin said the first-half results were achieved despite geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and shipping disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz, adding that Brazil expanded sales in strategic markets including Japan, China, the European Union and South Korea while maintaining exports to Middle Eastern buyers and developing opportunities in emerging markets.
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