Pork prices in Brazil near 2022 competitiveness as pork gains ground vs beef – CEPEA
Gap between beef and “special” pork carcass prices narrowed to lowest since 2022 in real terms.
BRAZIL – Pork has gained ground against beef in Brazil this year, with Cepea reporting the closest competitiveness between the two proteins in real terms since 2022.
The average gap between beef and special pork carcass prices in 2025 stands at 9.47 Brazilian reais per kilogram (US$1.75/kg).
This margin is 36% wider than in 2024 and 12% higher than in 2023, though it remains about 25% below the 2022 spread of 12.64 reais/kg (US$2.33/kg).
Beef inflation has been the main force behind this shift, driving a steeper rise than pork at the start of the year.
In Greater São Paulo’s wholesale market, beef averaged 22.25 reais/kg (US$4.10/kg), up 16.8% from early 2024.
Special pork carcass reached an average of 12.78 reais/kg (US$2.35/kg), a 5.5% increase compared with last year.
Cepea reports that the sharper escalation in beef prices has effectively widened pork’s pricing advantage.
New export opening in Azerbaijan
In September, the Brazilian Animal Protein Association confirmed that Azerbaijan has approved imports of thermo-processed pork and poultry products from Brazil.
This decision followed discussions between Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and Azerbaijani health authorities, involving Agriculture Minister Carlos Fávaro, International Relations Secretary Luis Renato Rua and Agricultural Defense Secretary Carlos Goulart.
The authorization gives Brazil renewed access to a market where poultry demand has been expanding steadily.
Data from 2021 indicate that per-capita chicken consumption in Azerbaijan is around 15 kilograms a year, amounting to roughly 141,000 tons nationally.
Projections point to demand rising toward 152,000 tons by 2026, reflecting a gradual but consistent increase.
In 2024, Azerbaijan imported 41,900 tons of chicken, a 46% jump from 2023, with most of the supply sourced from Ukraine and Russia.
Brazil had been an important chicken supplier to Azerbaijan until 2019, after which shipments halted, only resuming briefly in 2024.
Pork intake in the country remains low, but Brazil has historically provided much of the imported volume, and the new approval could help reestablish its presence in that segment.
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