China – beef imports to hit 3.1m tonnes in 2021

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is forecasting that China will import 3.1m tonnes of beef in 2021 as the country continues to rebuild domestic meat production. The USDA expects Chinese meat production to grow 14% in 2021 to hit 47m tonnes.

US – meat exports fall in January

US beef exports for the month of January stood at just over 105,000t, which is down 2% on the same month last year. US pork exports also struggled in January, falling 9% year on year to just under 250,000t.

France – January milk supply falls sharply

French milk supply for the month of January was down more than 3% on the same month last year to just over 2bn litres. This equates to a drop in production of more than 70m litres of milk compared with January 2020.

Brazil – higher estimates for maize and soya harvest

Conab, the Brazilian grain market analyst, has raised its forecast for Brazilian maize (corn) and soya bean production in 2021. The agency forecasts the soya bean harvest will hit 135m tonnes this year, while it expects maize production to hit 108m tonnes.