Worldwide U.S. pork exports smashed the record set in 2000 by 20 percent in 2...

Worldwide U.S. pork exports smashed the record set in 2000 by 20 percent in 2001. According to statistics just released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. pork exports (including variety meats) totaled 671,666 metric tons (mt) in 2001, up from 557,951 mt in 2000.

The value of U.S. pork exports also set a new record at $1.501 billion, 16 percent higher than 2000.

Leading the increase in U.S. pork sales, exports to the United States’ No. 1 market, Japan, soared 23 percent in volume to 256,015 mt, and 14 percent in value to $855.6 million, the fourth consecutive record year in volume and third consecutive record year in value.

The U.S. pork industry also had a record year in Mexico, its second largest market. U.S. pork exports to Mexico totaled 190,900 mt, a 9 percent increase over 2000. The value of U.S. pork exports to Mexico also set a new record at $269.1 million, 10 percent higher than 2000.

All the United States’ major pork markets recorded increases:

 

Strong U.S. beef prices combined with a very strong dollar against most currencies worldwide to limit beef exports during most of 2001. Additionally, the discovery of domestic Japanese bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) cases and the resulting widespread fear of eating beef among consumers there during the last quarter of 2001 combined to cause worldwide U.S. beef exports (including variety meats) to fall 6 percent in volume to 1,148,428 mt and 10 percent in value to $3.173 billion. Nevertheless, the U.S. beef industry had the third best export year in history, outpaced only by the record years 1999 and 2000.

U.S. beef exports to Mexico broke the record for the fifth successive year. The United States exported 242,802 mt of beef and beef variety meats to Mexico, 10 percent more than in 2000 to a value of $637 million, 11 percent up on the previous year.

Sales to Russia also sharply rose. The United States exported 60,197 mt of beef and beef variety meats to Russia in 2001, a 34 percent increase over 2000. In value, exports to Russia climbed 23 percent to $46.4 million.

The United States’ major beef markets:

 

The U.S. Meat Export Federation is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn, sorghum and soybean checkoff programs.

-- USMEF -