After the first months of total stoppage due to COVID-19 in China, beef imports to the Asian country resumed in March, allowing the export markets to recover.
“In March, we saw an impressive volume of imports. According to Chinese customs data, among the three types of beef, pork and poultry, 920,000 tons and 233,000 of beef were purchased. If we count the first quarter, there were 530,000 tons of beef from January to March, approximately 65% ​​more than imported in the same quarter of 2019, “analyst María Julia Aiassa from Mercado Ganadero SA, from Rosario, Argentina, told Sputnik.

The stoppage of Chinese meat imports occurred in late 2019, before the arrival of the coronavirus, for other reasons, such as the cut in pre-financing for importers due to an alleged price increase in the local market.

The high numbers in March refer to shipments that were stranded in containers from Chinese ports.

The increase in Chinese imports was also observed in Uruguay, with an increase of 7,000 tons between February and March this year. Brazil exported approximately 30,000 tons per month during the first two months and 50,000 tons in March to China.
In Argentina, shipments registered in March are estimated at 90,000 tons against 45,000 tons in January and 28,000 tons in February.

“Chinese cities have started to reopen, 95% of McDonald’s have been opened, more than two million restaurants have opened in the last month and activity has been normalized,” said the analyst.

China is the second largest beef market in the world, second only to the USA, and the one that grows most, thanks to increased income, which has increased imports by at least 20% per year in the last five years.

Currently, Argentina is the fourth largest exporter of meat, while Brazil remains the largest exporter of beef in the world.

Source: www.ultimahoranews.com.br