2023 is one of the most challenging years for Argentinian poultry farming, Bird flu breaks out in region This is an unstoppable milestone that tests the mettle of the sector and the efficiency of the entire health system.
The disease has been present in South America since 2022, but the first outbreak in Argentina began in February in wild birds in the province of Jujuy and then continued in poultry and chicken and laying hen production facilities. During the five months of the epidemic, 18 commercial establishments and approximately 2.2 million poultry were affected. That way, Country loses bird flu-free categoryThis led to a disruption in exports, which resumed after the poultry epidemic was brought under control in August.
“This year, when bird flu first appeared in Argentina, we were unhappy about no longer being a free country and having to live through this terrible disease that brought several colleagues, several colleagues, along the way to our company. has disappeared. But Resilience to the rescue, see how we work as a team, mainly in collaboration with Senasa and the Ministry of Agriculture.It’s a very interesting synergy and, apart from some somewhat complicated starts, the balance is really positive,” he said in a statement with Clarin Village Hotel Javier Prida, president of the Argentine Poultry Producers Association (Capia), which brings together egg-producing companies.
He then added: “We are ready for what is going to happen. We still need to improve, we have to do prevention, a lot of control. I think that in the face of this very adverse environment, Argentina is able to respond, We are doing a really, really good job, and we are facing this disease with a level of responsibility, commitment and sacrifice that is rare.”
Prida represents an industry that plays a central role in the nutrition of Argentines.According to information from Capia, egg consumption in the country is currently at 322 eggs per capita. This year, Argentina moved up two levels in the world rankings for egg intake, ranking third behind Mexico and Japan.
The laying hen production park consists of 51.62 million birds In December 2022, before the arrival of avian influenza, there was an increase of approximately 8.46% compared to 2021 (4,120,000 units more than December 2021). In 2022, the output will be 15.2916 billion vehicles, of which 14.6035 billion vehicles will be used for domestic consumption. This means that of the total eggs produced in the country, 96.8% is sold to the local market and the remaining 3.2% is sold to foreign markets.
“Eggs have the highest export value-added per ton in the regional economy. The industry consumes 1.5 million tons of corn and 500,000 tons of soybeans. Creating real jobs for 18,000 people directly and 12,000 indirectly every year,” the entity said, adding: “Argentinian eggs of different varieties are a product that has a strong presence in the world, with 50+ markets. Open international market.
Javier Prida represents the egg producer.Today, there are more than 1,000 laying hen farms operating in Argentina, distributed in 18 provinces of the country, the most important of which are Buenos Aires, with 40%; Entre Rios, with 27%; Córdoba, accounting for 9%; Mendoza, accounting for 5%; Salta, accounting for 4.5%, ranks first.
export single leg chicken
Their distribution is similar to that of laying hen farms, but with a slightly larger share in the province of Entre Rios, where Senasa has a total of about 55 registered chicken enterprises throughout the country, including provincial refrigerators.Carlos Sinesi, general manager of the Center for Poultry Processing Companies (CEPA), said that overall, some 1 billion chickens per year. By the end of 2023 approx. 2.5 million tons of chicken The industry consumes approximately 4 million tons of corn annually, including recycled corn.
“Production is growing at 2% annually. Apparent consumption in the local market remains stable 48 kg per person per yearthe total growth is based on exports,” Sinesi said.
Carlos Sinesi, manager of the Chamber of Poultry Processing Companies.Against this background, the outbreak of avian influenza has undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to the industry. “Over the course of almost five months, with different cases emerging and very important work being done, we have to start learning what we don’t know. The market decline has led us to expect exports to total 180,000 tons this yearthe original forecast at that time was 280,000 tons,” he explained. In this way, exports will account for 9% of total production, compared with the expected 12-13%.
“The main destinations are China, South Africa, the Middle East, Chile… Now we are officially a month free of bird flu and there is still Reopening of Chinese and Chilean markets, which is very important to us. China has a lot of paws and there’s no other market to target, so that affects costs dramatically,” he details.
Looking ahead, Sinesi did not hesitate to confirm that one of the main challenges is to restore the market. With this goal in mind, 13 CEPA member companies went to the Anuga exhibition in Germany. “We need to plant crops that cannot be grown this year and maintain consumption in Argentina. Let people consume with confidence Safe, high-quality, sustainable products“, he concluded.