World total meat production is forecast to fall by 1.7 percent in 2020

Global food markets still brace for uncertainty in 2020/21 because of COVID-19 says FAO. Food markets will face many more months of uncertainty due to COVID-19, but the agri-food sector is likely to show more resilience to the pandemic crisis than other sectors, according to a new report released today by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Food Outlook report provides the first forecasts for production and market trends in 2020-2021 for the world's most traded food commodities – cereals, oil crops, meat, dairy, fish and sugar.

"The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt – at varying degrees – across all food sectors assessed by FAO. Whilst COVID-19 has posed a serious threat to food security, overall, our analysis shows that from the global perspective, agricultural commodity markets are proving to be more resilient to the pandemic than many other sectors. That said, owing to the size of the challenge and the enormous uncertainties associated with it, the international community must remain vigilant and ready to react, if and when necessary," said Boubaker Ben-Belhassen, Director of the FAO Trade and Markets Division.

International meat trade is likely to register a moderate growth - but considerably slower growth than in 2019 – largely sustained by high imports from China.

International meat prices have fallen by 8.6 percent from January 2020, with the sharpest drop in ovine meat, followed by poultry, pig and bovine meats due to the impacts of COVID-19-related measures, including ensuing logistical bottlenecks, steep decline in global import demand, and substantial volumes of unsold meat products.

SOURCE: MEATINFO