U.S. Beef and Pork Export Values Near $150 Million to Colombia
Demand for U.S. pork and beef exports in Colombia soar in 2022 with pork ahead of last year’s record pace by 10%, valued at $120 million, and beef exports are up 55% in volume and 78% in value ($26.3 million) over 2021, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) reports.
Colombia’s consumption of pork on a per capita basis is nearly 26 lbs. and their domestic industry simply cannot keep up, Don Mason, a USMEF representative says. The U.S pork exports have filled the hole in consumer demand, continuing to gain more market share in the country.
While the pork industry aims to fulfill demand, U.S. beef preference in Colombia has evolved in recent years.
“Our beef market used to be a lot of variety meats—liver, tripe, that sort of thing. In the past three or four years, we've seen more and more muscle cuts going in there. And then over the past two years, lots of ground beef, because there's a hamburger craze in Colombia. Hamburger shops are popping up all over, and they love U.S product for their hamburgers,” Mason explains.
Despite inflation that challenges the spending habits of Colombian consumers, Mason explains meat demand has been resilient.
“I think this year looks pretty good for meat exports into Colombia. We've got aggressive, optimistic importers, and that's one of the keys in these countries. Especially in Colombia, we have 20-25 importers who are very convinced that they can buy high quality U.S. product even at a higher price and sell it at a profit,” Mason notes.
