POULTRY
Brazil's biggest chicken customer is becoming a dangerous rival

Poultry farm in Santa Catarina. Photo: Alf Ribeiro/Shutterstock
China's chicken meat exports rose 51% year-on-year in the first five months of 2026, to 546,000 tonnes, according to the US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service, which in July raised its full-year estimate to 1.5 million tonnes and projected 1.8 million for 2027. In 2020, the country shipped 388,000 tonnes. On current trajectories, China will displace Thailand this year as the world's third-largest chicken exporter, behind only Brazil and the US.
That is an uncomfortable ranking for Brazil, which sent…

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