With 44% of Chicken Exports, Paranaguá Is Brazil’s Leading Meat Export Hub

Portos do Paraná has increased its share in Brazil’s frozen animal protein exports, reaching 35.1% of the national total in the first five months of 2025. With this performance, the port remains Brazil’s top export corridor for meat. From January to May, 1,280,167 tonnes were shipped to destinations such as China, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
This volume represents a 9.9% increase compared to the same period in 2024, considering chicken, beef, and pork exports.

Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of chicken meat, with Paraná state leading national production. The Port of Paranaguá houses the world’s largest terminal for exporting frozen poultry, accounting for 44.1% of all Brazilian chicken exports — more than double the share of the Port of Santos, which handled 20.9%. In 2024, Paranaguá was responsible for 48% of Brazil’s broiler exports.

Below is a historical overview of poultry meat exports from Paranaguá Port. The chart was prepared using DataLiner data:

Poultry Meat Exports from Paranagua Port | Jan 2022 – Apr 2025 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

“These results reflect management committed to smart operational execution and consistent logistics investments. It’s a success built in partnership with the entire port community. For example, increasing the depth of our channel allows more cargo to be loaded without raising exporters’ operational costs. It’s more for less,” said Luiz Fernando Garcia, CEO of Portos do Paraná.

From January to May 2025, frozen chicken shipments increased by 2.5%, despite some restrictions imposed by importing countries following an isolated avian flu case in Rio Grande do Sul. A total of 923,477 tonnes were shipped, compared to 900,909 tonnes in the same period in 2024.

Beef Exports Soar Over 50% Through May
Paranaguá also ranks second among Brazilian terminals for beef exports. As of May, it recorded a sharp increase of 50.9% year-over-year, from 183,570 to 276,969 tonnes.
“We are the main export hub for Brazil’s chicken, beef, and pork. These figures prove the efficiency of the Paraná ports. We have the infrastructure to handle multiple cargo types, and this data underscores our role as a multi-purpose logistics corridor. Whatever Paraná and Brazil produce, we are ready to export,” said Gabriel Vieira, Port Operations Director.

Livestock Production Fuels Export Growth
Paraná leads national animal protein production, particularly chicken, which accounted for 34.6% of Brazil’s output from January to March 2025, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

In pork, Paraná ranks second with 21.9% of national production in the same period.

Although its beef share is smaller, the state saw growth in early 2025, with 354,000 head of cattle slaughtered between January and March—an increase of 14,200 head year-over-year, equivalent to 3.6% of Brazil’s total.

According to the Paraná State Department of Agriculture (SEAB), in 2024, the state processed over 2.2 billion chickens, 12.4 million pigs, and nearly 629,000 cattle and produced more than 180,000 tonnes of fish.

This production capacity drives a robust meat industry supply chain. Paraná is home to one of the country’s largest meat slaughtering and processing infrastructures, with 557 companies operating in the sector.

Source: AviSite

Sharing is caring!