According to their estimates, chicken meat imports to Mexico will be 960,000 metric tons in 2024, a decrease of 4.6% compared to 2023.
The United States and Brazil will remain the two main sources of chicken meat imports to Mexico, according to projections by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
According to their estimates, chicken meat imports to Mexico will be 960,000 metric tons in 2024, a decrease of 4.6% compared to 2023.
“The stronger peso during the first half of the year supported higher import levels. However, the industry is saturated with chicken meat and significant import growth from 2022 to 2023 is not sustainable,” the USDA said in a report.
Despite this, he expects competitive prices for chicken meat from the United States and Brazil to maintain high import volumes.
In 2023, the United States accounted for approximately 86% of chicken meat imports to Mexico, while Brazil supplied almost 14 percent.
Brazilian imports are influenced by longer shipping times (15 to 45 days) than US shipments, which can arrive in 12 hours.
"Shipping from the United States allows for fresher products and lower handling costs. However, Brazilian chicken meat is usually more competitive in terms of price, especially for higher-value cuts such as breast," he added.
In December 2023, Mexico banned poultry imports from Brazil due to an outbreak of Newcastle disease in Rio Grande state.
This ban was lifted in August 2024, although restrictions remain in place for Rio Grande poultry. USDA forecasts the overall impact of this ban on Brazilian poultry imports in 2024 to be minimal, as Mexican importers have indicated a shift in purchases to other Brazilian states.
Mexico imported 1,006,000 tons of chicken meat in 2023 and, according to USDA estimates, will import 960,000 tons in 2024 and 970,000 tons in 2025.
Mexico moved from sixth place in 2022 to fifth in 2023 among the world's largest chicken consumers, displacing Russia.
According to USDA data, Mexico consumed 4,836,000 tons of chicken (equivalent to “ready to cook”), surpassed by the United States (17.9 million tons), China (14.5 million), the European Union (10.2 million) and Brazil (10.1 million).
As the Mexican population eats more of this animal protein, Brazilian chicken producers are increasing their interest in Mexico, which is the tenth largest market for Brazilian chicken exports.
Mexico exports virtually no chicken meat to the world. As for its chicken meat production, this was 3 million 888 thousand tons in 2023 and the USDA predicts that it will grow to 4 million tons in 2024 and 4 million 085 thousand tons in 2025.
