RIO DE JANEIRO,
posted December 17, 2004, Andrew Downie, Christian Science
Monitor -- CropChoice.com: There are some things
that will always be linked with Brazil: soccer, sand,
and samba, to name a few. Now there is a new -- and
unlikely -- name bidding for a place on the list: chicken.
Buoyed by fresh opportunities in the Middle East and
Asia, Brazilian poultry farmers have sharply increased
production and are expected to overtake the United States
and end the year as the world's No. 1 chicken exporter.
Already the world's largest exporter of beef and soy
beans, Brazil's emergence as a poultry powerhouse is
a sign of the country's growing importance in the world
of agriculture. Its modern and economical production
process, coupled with savvy trade deals with other developing
nations, is likely to have Brazil's competitors squawking
for years to come.
In 1997, Brazil's chicken exports were less than a
third those of the US. But production has taken off
since 2000 -- growth averaged 20 percent the past two
years -- and today Brazil exports to 127 different countries
and controls 36 percent of the world share, according
to Claudio Martinez, executive director of the Brazilian
Association of Chicken Exporters.
The main markets are in the Middle East and Asia, particularly
China. With talks of the proposed Free Trade Area of
the Americas and a deal with the European Union breaking
down, Brazil has forged closer trade ties with behemoths
in the developing world. President Luíz Inacio
Lula da Silva has aggressively pursued better relations
with countries like China, Russia, and India.
The Chinese in particular are keen to strengthen trade
relations with Latin America. Chinese Premier Hu Jintao
last month promised to invest more than $100 billion
in the region over the next 10 years. Brazilian chicken
exporters would benefit through a deal government officials
said will be worth $200 million a year by 2005. The
agreement will help boost Brazilian exports to a region
already feasting on Brazilian drumsticks. When Asian
producers were laid low by Avian influenza earlier this
year, their Brazilians competitors moved in, and exports
to Asia went up 84 percent between January and October.
There are other, more established reasons for the rise,
Mr. Martinez adds. Brazil's industry is relatively new
and therefore modern. Production costs are up to 25
percent lower than in the US. And sanitary controls
have helped keep the country's birds free of pests.
American officials say Brazil cannot guarantee their
birds are disease free and so are banned from the US.
Brazil strenuously rejects that claim and banned US
imports in retaliation. Brazilian officials say they
hope that, as the two biggest exporters, they can set
an example and overcome the stalemate. The planned creation
of a world poultry exporters organization would help
producers resolve conflicts, Martinez says.
If it does, Americans might recognize there is more
to Brazil than Portuguese and Pele. Now there's poultry,
too.
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2004/12/15/news/business/
588134f10123905787256f69007e5698.prt
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