Source: Bob Moser, MEATINGPLACE, 11/23/11

On the heels of Marfrig's announcement last week that it would be the first Brazilian processor to ship pork directly to China on Nov. 24, Brazil's Aurora Alimentos announced Tuesday it will start sending pork there in January.

Aurora first entered the Chinese poultry market earlier this year, and has shipped US$30 million in poultry there so far in 2011. The gradual opening of the Chinese market to direct shipments from Brazil has been one of the key success stories for Brazilian meat processors this year.

Before 2009, China had only consumed Brazilian meat by purchasing exports first sent to Hong Kong. Poultry imports were approved in 2009, and in April of this year presidents of the two nations approved Brazilian pork for sale in China.

The export growth potential for Brazilian pork is significant: In 2009, China imported 20,000 metric tons of Brazilian poultry, and by 2010 that number jumped to 120,000 metric tons. Through October of this year, Aurora had shipped 12,500 metric tons of poultry products directly to China.

Aurora's approval process for pork exports to China began in October 2010, when a Chinese delegation visited 13 processing plants throughout Brazil. Three of those were approved for export, with one being Coopercentral Aurora in Santa Catarina state.

China is the world's largest swine-producing market, and consumes 100 percent of the 48.7 million metric tons of pork it generates. Brazil produces 3 million metric tons per year, and exports roughly 600,000 metric tons.

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