Source:  Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 4/15/10

Strong expansion in muscle cuts helped U.S. beef and pork exports grow in February, according to USDA statistics compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

Beef export value including muscle cuts and variety meats jumped nearly 16 percent year on year to $252.million, while volume climbed almost 9 percent to 71,843 metric tons (158.4 million pounds).

Pork exports rose slightly over February 2009, increasing 2.6 percent in value to $377.6 million and nearly 1 percent in volume to 159,331 metric tons (351.3 million pounds).

"There are solid signs of progress in key markets," USMEF President and CEO Phil Seng said in a news release. "And that means positive growth in profitability for U.S. producers."

Pork exports in February were 25 percent of total U.S. pork production, accounting for $44 per head, up from $37.37 per head in January. Beef exports as a percentage of production were steady at 10 percent, while export value edged up to $123 per head of steer and heifer slaughter in February from $119 in January.

Flexing muscle

In the Middle East, led by Egypt, U.S. beef muscle cut exports in the first two months of 2010 rose 28 percent in volume and 50 percent in value from the year-ago period. In Russia, beef muscle cut exports grew 10-fold to 1,270 metric tons, with current data showing five consecutive weeks of exports exceeding 700 metric tons (1.5 million pounds) per week. In the Greater China plus Vietnam region, which is the third largest market for U.S. beef muscle cuts this year, muscle cuts grew 36 percent in volume and 38 percent in value. February exports of 9,082 metric tons (20 million pounds) of muscle cuts alone set a new monthly record, making the region the second-largest volume destination for U.S. beef for the month.

Pork muscle cuts to Japan recovered in February, up 21 percent from January but still 8.5 percent lower than February last year. For the first two months, exports to Japan were down 17 percent in volume and down 15 percent in value. The China/Hong Kong region saw a volume increase in muscle cuts of 15 percent in the two-month span. In the ASEAN region, pork muscle cuts doubled in volume to 11,247 metric tons (24.8 million pounds) and rose 102 percent in value to $22.3 million.

For more stories, go to www.meatingplace.com.