U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom explains in the audio clip above that unlike some previous months this year in which growth was heavily concentrated in China, September exports to Canada were record-large and volumes increased significantly to Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines. He notes that broad-based growth is especially important for U.S. pork because shipments to China are beginning to moderate as China’s hog production recovers from the impact of African swine fever (ASF).
While China’s demand for U.S. pork is expected to be strong again in 2021, exports will likely trend lower compared to the unprecedented levels seen this year. Halstrom says in the audio that one of the keys to maintaining strong overall growth going forward is for U.S. pork to regain momentum in Mexico, as well as Central and South America.
For January through September, U.S. pork exports were 16% ahead of last year’s record pace in both volume (2.22 million mt) and value ($5.69 billion).
