Pork Highlights
March 2021:

Pork: 247,660 mt, +2% and a new record, $689 million, +4% and a new record
PVM: 47,064 mt, -2%, $106 million, +3% and the fourth highest monthly value
Pork + PVM: 294,724 mt, +1% and a new record, $795 million, +4% and a new record

January – March 2021:

Pork: 659,420 mt, -7%, $1.789 billion, -8%
PVM: 123,200 mt, -5%, $279 million, -3%
Pork and PVM: 782,620 mt, -7%, $2.067 billion, -7%

March pork muscle cut exports reached a new record at 247,660 mt, up 2% or +4,100 mt from last year (previous record was last March at 243,592 mt). March pork muscle cut exports were higher year-over-year to the ASEAN (+9,100 mt), Central America (+4,500 mt), Japan (+4,500 mt), Mexico (+2,500 mt), Caribbean + DR (+1,600 mt), and the EU (+70 mt), while exports were lower to China/HK (-11,000 mt), South America (-2,900 mt), Canada (-2,200 mt), Korea (-910 mt), Taiwan (-500 mt), and Australia/NZ (-360 mt). Combined exports to China/HK totaled 60,261 mt in March, down 15% from last year but the highest since last June with: China (59,168 mt, -15%) and Hong Kong (1,093 mt, -35%). Exports to Mexico (55,339 mt, +5%) were the highest since December. March pork muscle cut exports to Japan (40,487 mt, +12%) were the highest since 2015. Exports to Canada (19,512 mt, -10%) were down from last March but were the highest since September. Exports to Korea (16,189 mt, -5%) were the highest since last March. Exports to the Philippines (11,736 mt, +488%) surged from 5,627 mt in February to nearly 12,000 mt in March, up from the previous record of 6,986 mt in March 2010. Exports were lower to Vietnam (584 mt, -46%) and Singapore (248 mt, -21%). Exports to Colombia (9,467 mt, +22%) rebounded to the highest level since 2019, while exports slowed to Chile (2,113 mt, -64%), and exports to Peru (522 mt, -61%) were the highest since April. Exports to Australia (7,721 mt, -2%) have been below year-ago levels since the pandemic, but March exports were the highest since last March. Exports to New Zealand (1,335 mt, -13%) were also the highest since last March. Exports to Central America continued to gain momentum with record pork exports in March to the Dominican Republic (6,345 mt, +36%), Honduras (5,153 mt, +35%), Guatemala (2,818 mt, +64%), Nicaragua (1,728 mt, +38%), El Salvador (1,490 mt, +110%), and Costa Rica (1,439 mt, +136%). Exports to Panama (830 mt, +10%) were higher year-over-year but slowed from recent months. Exports to Trinidad and Tobago (471 mt, +56%) were the highest since last May, while exports to the Bahamas (380 mt, -19%) slowed. Exports to Taiwan (262 mt, -66%) slowed to the lowest level since 2012.

March pork variety meat exports totaled 47,064 mt, down 2% or -800 mt from last year (and the highest since last March). Compared to last March, pork variety meat exports were higher to the ASEAN (+740 mt), Mexico (+440 mt), Central America (+100 mt), Korea (+60 mt), and Caribbean + DR (+30 mt), while exports were lower to South America (-610 mt), Taiwan (-440 mt), China/HK (-430 mt), Japan (-410 mt), and Canada (-240 mt). Combined pork variety meat exports to China/HK totaled 29,024 mt in March, down 1% from last year and the highest since last April. Pork variety meats to China (28,690 mt, +9%) reached the second highest monthly total after April 2020, but exports remained slower to Hong Kong (334 mt, -78%). Exports to Mexico (10,835 mt, +4%) were the highest since January 2020.

American Pork & Variety Meat Export Value in March 2021

American Pork & Variety Meat Export Volume in March 2021

Exports to the Philippines (2,109 mt, +55%) were the fourth highest volume on record, and exports to Vietnam (290 mt, -3%) were the highest since August. Exports were lower year-over-year to Canada (1,105 mt, -18%). Exports to Korea (890 mt, +7%) were the highest since December 2019, but exports slowed to Japan (259 mt, -61%). Exports to Chile (503 mt, -45%) rebounded from 306 mt in February, but remained below the recent highs of 1,065 mt – 2,580 mt from September to January. Exports to Colombia (358 mt, -12%) were also lower year-over-year. Exports were strong to Central America, and March pork variety meat exports were the highest since 2019 to Guatemala (395 mt, +16%), the highest since 2019 to the Dominican Republic (250 mt, +297%), the highest since September to Honduras (161 mt, +106%), and the highest since October to Panama (136 mt, -23%). Exports were lower year-over-year to Trinidad and Tobago (98 mt, -42%). Exports continued to slow to Taiwan (76 mt, -85%).

January – March pork and variety meat exports totaled 782,620 mt, down 7% or -55,500 mt from last year. Exports were higher to the ASEAN (+14,200 mt), Central America (+11,500 mt), Caribbean + DR (+4,800 mt), Japan (+1,300 mt), and the EU (+60 mt), while exports were lower to China/HK (-60,000 mt), Mexico (-8,300 mt), Australia/NZ (-5,500 mt), Korea (-4,500 mt), Canada (-3,800 mt), South America (-2,700 mt), Taiwan (-1,600 mt), and Africa (-220 mt).

March pork exports accounted for 29.1% of pork production and 32.2% when including variety meats as compared to 28.4% and 31.6% for March 2020. January – March pork exports accounted for 27.1% of production and 29.9% when including variety meats, compared to 28.5% and 31.4% for January – March 2020.

March 2021 pork export value per head averaged $67.71/head, up $3.72/head or +6% from $63.99/head in Mar 2020. January – March 2021 pork export value per head averaged $61.86/head, down $2.81/head or -4% from $64.66/head for January – March 2020.

SOURCE: USMEF