Brazilian half year exports grow despite small June decline

The export of Brazilian pork fell slightly in June, but remained at a historically high level. Despite the monthly decline, Brazil closed the first half of 2026 with the best performance ever recorded for pork exports. This confirms the country’s growing role on the global pork market.Exports from the country fell by 3.5% in June compared with last year. According to the Brazilian industry association for animal proteins ABPA, Brazil exported 132,400 tons of pork in June, including fresh and processed products. That compares with 137,200 tons in June 2025. Export value also declined. Export revenues fell by 8.4% year-on-year to $312.8 million, compared with $341.7 million in June 2025.Over the first six months of 2026, Brazilian pork exports reached the highest level ever recorded for a first half-year. From January through June, a total of 794,200 tons were exported, an increase of 10% compared with 722,000 tons in the same period last year. Export value increased by 7.9% in that period from $1.723 billion to $1.859 billion.Philippines remains the largest buyerThe Philippines remained by far the largest destination for Brazilian pork in June, although shipments fell sharply year-on-year. Exports to the country declined by 30.4% to 23,500 tons. Japan was the second-largest destination and recorded strong growth. Shipments to Japan increased by 33.8% to 17,200 tons. Chile followed with 11,700 tons, an increase of 3.1%. China remains one of the largest buyers, but volumes continued to decline. Exports to China fell by 26.5% to 11,400 tons. Hong Kong imported 8,000 tons, up 1.4% year-on-year.Several destinations recorded mixed results in June. Mexico imported 6,900 tons of Brazilian pork, a decline of 4.8% compared with last year. Singapore saw a sharper fall, with shipments down 35.4% to 5,900 tons. In contrast, exports to Argentina increased strongly. Shipments there rose by 46.5% to 5,900 tons. Vietnam also recorded a slight increase, with imports rising by 1.5% to 5,800 tons. Uruguay imported 4,700 tons, a decline of 3.3%.Santa Catarina remains the leading exporting state Among the Brazilian exporting states, Santa Catarina remained the national leader in June. The state shipped 65,200 tons of pork, although this was 6.9% lower than in the same month last year. Rio Grande do Sul followed with 31,400 tons (-4.7%), while Paraná exported 20,700 tons (+3.2%). Minas Gerais shipped 4,100 tons, an increase of 26.3%, and Mato Grosso exported 4,000 tons, up 23.3%.