China Opens to Brazilian Pork (News Brief)

(Courtesy: cupcakesandcrablegs.com)-by Danilo Macedo Reporter Agência Brasil

One of the concrete results to come out of the visit to China by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is the opening of the Chinese market to Brazilian pork.

The Chinese have authorized the imports from three Brazilian meatpakers. The Minister of Agriculture, Wagner Rossi, told reporters that the announcement was a victory in Brazil’s efforts to increase exports of higher aggregate value to China.

The president of the Brazilian Pork Producer and Exporter Association, Pedro de Camargo Neto, who was also in China as part of the presidential mission, declared that permission for three meatpakers represetned the opening of the Chinese market and that the task ahead was to expand this further.

China is the world’s leading producer and consumer of pork. Negotiations to have access to the Chinese market have been ongoing since 2009, although some Brazilian pork does already reach continental China through Hong Kong, where the Brazilians have a strong foothold.

China is also currently the largest importer of Brazilian chicken; in 2010, exports of chicken to China were worth almost $220 million. In addition total Brazilian farm produce exported to China was worth $11 billion, up from $3.5 billion in 2007.

With the opening of pork exports to China there will be an effort to increase meat exports to China in general declared Camargo Neto.

 - Originally published by Agência Brasil April 13, 2011 under Creative Commons Licensing