Audio: Latin American Meat Showcase Draws Strong Interest from Buyers, Exporters
Published: Jul 11, 2012
Dan Halstrom, USMEF senior vice president for marketing and communications, is in Bogota, Colombia, this week for USMEF’s Latin American Product Showcase. This key promotional event for U.S. beef and pork seeks to build on the momentum of last year’s inaugural showcase, which was held in Panama City, Panama. Halstrom explains that while the 2011 event was a huge success, interest is even higher this year. He says about 25 U.S. companies will be exhibiting beef and pork products at the showcase, with about 50 buyers expected from 10 different Latin American countries.
Halstrom adds that while the Central-South America region was once primarily a destination for beef and pork variety meat, buyers are now interested in a much wider variety of cuts. This is due in part to U.S. products gaining more favorable market access through free trade agreements, but it also stems from the region’s growing middle class and its burgeoning supermarket and restaurant sectors. Fifteen months ago USMEF also established a new regional office in Lima, Peru, which has helped spark further growth for U.S. exports to the region.
Through May, U.S. beef exports to the Central-South America region are 42 percent ahead of last year’s record pace in terms of volume (32.4 million pounds) and 83 percent higher in value ($53.8 million), led by tremendous growth in Chile and strong performance in Peru and Guatemala. Pork exports are also on the rise, increasing 13 percent in volume (73.3 million pounds) and 16 percent in value ($85 million), led by outstanding growth in Colombia.
TRANSCRIPT:
Joe Schuele: This is Joe Schuele with the U.S. Meat Export Federation Report. This week, USMEF is holding its second Latin American Product Showcase in Bogotá, Colombia. This key promotional event for U.S. beef and pork seeks to build on the momentum from last year’s inaugural showcase, which was held in Panama City. As Dan Halstrom, Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications explains, last year’s showcase was a huge success, but interest this year is even higher.
Dan Halstrom: Well, it is exciting; we have tremendous interest in the region from our members. We have over 25 exporters that will be on hand exhibiting and participating in the showcase. We have 50 end users from ten different countries around the Central/South American region also registered to attend the showcase. This is where USMEF really plays a role; this is an opportunity to bring buyer and seller together in a very quickly growing region.
Joe Schuele: The Central/South American region was once primarily a destination for beef and pork variety meat. But buyers are now interested in a much wider variety of cuts, due to the region’s growing middle class and its burgeoning supermarket and restaurant sectors.
Dan Halstrom: We picked Colombia for this showcase because we do have tremendous potential going forward due to the decreased duties on beef and pork due to the Colombian FTA; same reason we had one in Panama a year ago. But really, it’s a regional event, we have customers coming from not only Panama to Colombia, but we’ve got Honduras, Guatemala, Chile, Peru to name a few. The interest level, in both beef and pork, the trendlines of growth are just enormous. Traditionally, a further processing market, where we might have some items for further processing, or livers going into the wet market, things like this. But, we are evolving beyond that to traditional muscle cuts, going into not only retail, but foodservice as well. So this is an exciting event.
Joe Schuele: For more on this and other trade issues, please visit usmef.org
Halstrom adds that while the Central-South America region was once primarily a destination for beef and pork variety meat, buyers are now interested in a much wider variety of cuts. This is due in part to U.S. products gaining more favorable market access through free trade agreements, but it also stems from the region’s growing middle class and its burgeoning supermarket and restaurant sectors. Fifteen months ago USMEF also established a new regional office in Lima, Peru, which has helped spark further growth for U.S. exports to the region.
Through May, U.S. beef exports to the Central-South America region are 42 percent ahead of last year’s record pace in terms of volume (32.4 million pounds) and 83 percent higher in value ($53.8 million), led by tremendous growth in Chile and strong performance in Peru and Guatemala. Pork exports are also on the rise, increasing 13 percent in volume (73.3 million pounds) and 16 percent in value ($85 million), led by outstanding growth in Colombia.
TRANSCRIPT:
Joe Schuele: This is Joe Schuele with the U.S. Meat Export Federation Report. This week, USMEF is holding its second Latin American Product Showcase in Bogotá, Colombia. This key promotional event for U.S. beef and pork seeks to build on the momentum from last year’s inaugural showcase, which was held in Panama City. As Dan Halstrom, Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications explains, last year’s showcase was a huge success, but interest this year is even higher.
Dan Halstrom: Well, it is exciting; we have tremendous interest in the region from our members. We have over 25 exporters that will be on hand exhibiting and participating in the showcase. We have 50 end users from ten different countries around the Central/South American region also registered to attend the showcase. This is where USMEF really plays a role; this is an opportunity to bring buyer and seller together in a very quickly growing region.
Joe Schuele: The Central/South American region was once primarily a destination for beef and pork variety meat. But buyers are now interested in a much wider variety of cuts, due to the region’s growing middle class and its burgeoning supermarket and restaurant sectors.
Dan Halstrom: We picked Colombia for this showcase because we do have tremendous potential going forward due to the decreased duties on beef and pork due to the Colombian FTA; same reason we had one in Panama a year ago. But really, it’s a regional event, we have customers coming from not only Panama to Colombia, but we’ve got Honduras, Guatemala, Chile, Peru to name a few. The interest level, in both beef and pork, the trendlines of growth are just enormous. Traditionally, a further processing market, where we might have some items for further processing, or livers going into the wet market, things like this. But, we are evolving beyond that to traditional muscle cuts, going into not only retail, but foodservice as well. So this is an exciting event.
Joe Schuele: For more on this and other trade issues, please visit usmef.org