Beef Exports To South Asia Firm
AUSTRALIA - Australian beef exports to South East Asia and Greater China during September decreased 10 per cent compared with the same period in 2010, to 12,108 tonnes swt, but year levels up two per cent, reports Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).
MLA report that the September decline was attributed completely to a 48 per cent fall in shipments to Indonesia.
Despite this, total Australian beef exports to the region during the calendar year to September remained two per cent above the volume sent in 2010, at 99,277 tonnes swt.
Chilled beef exports to South East Asia and Greater China during January to September surged 25 per cent year-on-year, to 13,417 tonnes swt, mainly due to a 193 per cent jump in shipments to Taiwan.
Increased exports of chilled beef to Taiwan included mostly chuck roll, intercostals, shin shank, cube roll, striploin and tenderloin. These cuts reportedly replaced US chilled product, following Taiwan's Department of Health's restriction on US beef earlier in the year.
Frozen beef exports to the region during the nine months to September decreased one per cent year-on-year, to 85,860 tonnes swt, driven largely by falls in shipments to Indonesia (down 21 per cent), Hong Kong (down five per cent) and Taiwan (down two per cent).
MLA states that frozen manufacturing beef continued to dominate shipments to the region, rising three per cent during January to September, to 36,044 tonnes swt, accounting for 42 per cent of overall frozen exports.
Indonesian authorities have allocated an additional 28,000 tonnes of beef import permits for October 2011 to January 2012. Despite this, strong demand for manufacturing beef and secondary cuts in other markets is expected to maintain shipments to the region.
TheCattleSite News Desk