Brazil’s Meat Industry Sets Sights on Buyers in China’s Interior

The Brazilian Beef Exporters Association (Abiec) representatives will tour six Chinese cities this year to promote Brazilian beef and strengthen ties with direct buyers such as wholesalers, trade associations, and local governments.

“This is a broad project to expand into inland Asia, starting with China. Next year, we plan to move to other countries. The idea is to move beyond talks with just traders and major state-owned companies and engage more locally,” said Abiec president Roberto Perosa during an event hosted by the Brazilian Association of Rural and Agribusiness Marketing (Abmra) on Thursday (24).

Perosa says these buyers already consume Brazilian beef but usually acquire it through trading companies. The goal now is to foster direct business with Brazil. “Even provincial governments in China could make direct purchases,” he added.

In May, Abiec will open a commercial office in China, kicking off visits to the selected cities—three in the short term and another three toward the end of the year. These regions in China have a combined population of around 500 million people, underscoring the vast potential for market expansion.

Perosa noted that the visits will include technical and sanitary discussions, as well as events showcasing local cuisine and Brazilian-style barbecue.

The initiative comes as Brazil strengthens trade ties with China while the Asian nation remains embroiled in a tariff war with the United States, one of the world’s largest beef suppliers.

Despite Brazil’s ambitions to increase beef exports to China, Perosa emphasized that the country already accounts for over 40% of Brazilian beef exports. Therefore, Abiec is also working to diversify its international customer base.

“We have the ‘Brazilian Beef Dinner’ project, which promotes culinary events to showcase our beef. We held one in Egypt, which led to a preliminary listing for Brazil, and another in Morocco, which opened up to offal imports and may become a major hub for Africa and even Europe,” he said.

Eight more such events are planned for this year.

According to Perosa, a range of new export opportunities is expected to emerge once Brazil receives recognition from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) as free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination. The new status is anticipated to be confirmed in May.

“We’ll unlock a lot of potential, even in already open markets. Indonesia and the Philippines, for instance, already have approved Brazilian slaughterhouses, but they could expand to include offal,” he estimated. He also mentioned ongoing negotiations that could accelerate once the new sanitary status is in place, involving countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Turkey.

Perosa pointed out that the U.S. government’s imposition of import tariffs could hinder American beef exports to China and globally—potentially opening the door for Brazil to step in and fill the gap.

Source: Globo Rural

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