Africa increases imports of Brazilian chicken, reaching 816,000 tonnes in 2024
African demand for Brazilian poultry continues to grow. According to the latest report from the Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA), African imports of chicken meat from Brazil reached 816,000 tonnes in 2024 , an increase of 13% compared to 2022. This volume represents 16% of Brazil’s total chicken meat exports, placing Africa as the third largest importer after Asia and the Middle East. According to FAO, this volume corresponds to about 40% of Africa’s total poultry imports, estimated at 1.8 million tonnes per year .
South Africa tops importers
South Africa remains the main market for Brazilian poultry in Africa, with 340,435 tonnes imported in 2023 , an increase of more than 56,000 tonnes compared to the previous year. Despite efforts to strengthen its local production, South Africa is still unable to cover its needs, estimated at around 1.8 million tonnes per year. As a result, Brazil dominates the poultry import market in South Africa, with a market share of over 80%, despite high anti-dumping duties set at 265% since August 2023. Globally, South Africa ranks as Brazil’s fifth largest export market, behind China, the United Arab Emirates, Japan and Saudi Arabia.
Other key markets in Africa
In addition to South Africa, Libya (76,400 tons) and Egypt (59,136 tons) stand out as the main importers of Brazilian chicken. Together, these three countries account for nearly 476,000 tons , or 58% of the continent’s poultry imports from Brazil. Other countries such as Ghana (56,213 tons) and Angola (55,698 tons) also contribute to the growing demand.
A booming African market for Brazil
With continued expansion in sight, Brazil expects to break a record of 4.97 million tons of chicken exports by the end of 2024, according to data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In October 2023, Brazil also expanded its African market by adding Algeria as a new importing country after signing an agreement on health and safety standards for poultry. With this advancement, Brazil is now well established in all North African countries and is positioned to further expand its presence on the African continent.
