Pork Highlights
December 2020:

Pork: 219,224 mt, -8%, $590 million, -11%
PVM: 40,430 mt, -6%, $97 million, -1%
Pork + PVM: 259,654 mt, -8%, $687 million, -10%

January – December 2020:

Pork: 2.508 million mt, +15%, $6.674 billion, +12%
PVM: 468,466 mt, -6%, $1.041 billion, +4%
Pork + PVM: 2.977 million mt, +11%, $7.715 billion, +11%

December pork muscle cut exports totaled 219,224 mt, down 8% or -19,800 mt from December 2019, but the fifth highest monthly volume after Dec 2019 – March 2020. December exports were higher to Mexico (+7,100 mt), Japan (+4,000 mt), Caribbean + DR (+2,000 mt), Central America (+1,700 mt), ASEAN (+1,250 mt), Taiwan (+550 mt), South America (+340 mt), and Europe (+5 mt), while exports were lower to China/HK (-29,800 mt), Australia/NZ (-4,000 mt), Korea (-2,400 mt), and Canada (-280 mt). December exports to Mexico (62,746 mt, +13%) were the highest since April 2018 and the fourth highest monthly volume overall. Combined exports to China/HK totaled 55,079 mt, down 35% with slowed year-over-year exports to both China (53,790 mt, -35%) and Hong Kong (1,289 mt, -41%). Exports to Japan (32,600 mt, +14%) were higher year-over-year for the fifth consecutive month. Exports to Canada (15,279 mt, -2%) were the lowest since June. Exports to Korea (13,625 mt, -15%) remained lower year-over-year but were the highest since May. Exports to Colombia (7,068 mt, -6%) were the highest since March, and exports to Chile (3,257 mt, +73%) maintained momentum in December. Exports to Australia (5,724 mt, -41%) remained below prior-year levels in December, but exports to New Zealand (680 mt, +5%) were higher year-over-year for the 4th consecutive month. Exports to the DR (3,987 mt, +100%) were the fifth highest on record, bringing annual exports up 19% from 2019 and down 6% from the 2018 record. December exports were strong to Central America: Panama (3,911 mt, -22% but the third highest monthly volume on record), Honduras (3,819 mt, +35%), Guatemala (1,589, +67%), Nicaragua (1,543 mt, +240% and a new record), and El Salvador (760 mt, +30%). Annual pork exports to Central America set a new record for the 6th consecutive year. Although exports slowed from the highs seen from August – October, exports to the Philippines (3,120 mt, +73%) and Vietnam (450 mt, +41%) were higher year-over-year in December. December pork exports to the Bahamas (570 mt, +9%) were the highest since 2017. Exports were higher year-over-year to Taiwan (845 mt, +184%) but slowed from volumes of 2,500/2,600 mt from August – October.

In December, pork variety meat exports totaled 40,430 mt, down 6% year-over-year or -2,700 mt. Exports were higher to South America (+1,700 mt) but were lower to Mexico (-1,800 mt), China/HK (-460 mt), Caribbean + DR (-430 mt), Korea (-380 mt), Canada (-320 mt), ASEAN (-290 mt), Japan (-280 mt), Central America (-190 mt), Taiwan (-130 mt). Combined pork variety meat exports to China/HK totaled 25,554 mt in December, down 2% year-over-year. Exports to China (24,858 mt, +27%) were the highest since April, but exports slowed to Hong Kong (696 mt, -89%). Exports slowed to both Mexico (8,680 mt, -17%) and Canada (983 mt, -24%). Following record exports in November, exports to Chile (1,627 mt, +686%) were the third largest on record in December. Exports to Colombia (301 mt, +192%) were also higher year-over-year. Exports to the Philippines (977 mt, +10%) were higher year-over-year in December.

U.S. Pork & Variety Meat Export Value in December 2020

U.S. Pork & Variety Meat Export Volume in December 2020

Exports to Korea (534 mt, -42%) were lower year-over-year but were the highest since May, while exports slowed to Japan (462 mt, -38%). Exports were lower year-over-year to Guatemala (325 mt, -46%) but higher to Honduras (119 mt, +2%). Pork variety meat exports to Taiwan (150 mt, -46%) slowed to the lowest level since August. December pork variety meat exports to Trinidad and Tobago (101 mt, up from 3 mt in Dec 2019) maintained momentum in December, bringing the 2020 annual total to Trinidad and Tobago to a new record of 1,736 mt.

January - December pork and variety meat exports totaled 2.977 million mt, up 304,000 mt from last year or +11%. Exports were higher to China/HK (+370,000 mt), ASEAN (+17,000 mt), Japan (+16,800 mt), Canada (+11,300 mt), Caribbean + DR (+5,200 mt), Taiwan (+4,400 mt), Central America (+1,000 mt), Russia region (+900 mt), and Africa (+470 mt), while exports were lower to Korea (-50,600 mt), South America (-28,700 mt), Australia/NZ (-24,118 mt), Mexico (-19,900 mt), and the EU (-400 mt).

December pork exports accounted for 26.1% of pork production and 28.8% when including variety meats as compared to 29.3% and 32.1% for December 2019. January – December pork exports accounted for 26.5% of pork production and 29.3% when adding variety meats, up from 23.6% and 26.9% for 2019.

December 2020 pork export value per head averaged $59.87/head, down $6.83/head or -10% from $66.70/head in December 2019. For January – December, pork export value per head slaughtered averaged $58.65/head, up $5.14/head or +10% from $53.51/head in 2019.

SOURCE: USMEF