Santa Catarina breaks historical records in pork exports and advances in rural infrastructure

Santa Catarina achieved a historic milestone in pork exports in June and throughout the first half of 2025, solidifying its national leadership in the sector. The state exported 369,200 tons of pork between January and June, generating record revenue of US$1,500,000. This was the best result in the series since 1997, both in volume and value.

In June, 69,800 tons of pork were shipped, generating US$1.5 billion in revenue, the highest monthly revenue ever recorded by the sector and the second-best performance in historical terms. This growth was driven by strong demand from Asian countries such as Japan, China, and the Philippines.

Japan was the main highlight, with revenue growth of 58.1% compared to the first half of 2024. The figures are released by the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce, and Services (MDIC) and systematized by the Center for Socioeconomics and Agricultural Planning (Epagri/Cepa). "Santa Catarina has a history of excellence in the world's most demanding markets. We maintain rigorous sanitary controls, which generates this confidence. Our potential is enormous, and recently in Japan, I reinforced the request for the country to authorize the export of Santa Catarina beef. We are ready to take this next step," says Governor Jorginho Mello.

"With these results, Santa Catarina reaffirms its ability to serve demanding markets with quality, health, and reliability. The state accounted for more than 53% of national pork export revenue during the period; this record reflects the expansion and diversification of products and markets," emphasizes Carlos Chiodini, Secretary of Agriculture and Livestock.

Chicken

Chicken performance in the first half of 2025 was positive, despite declines in June. The state

exported 573.1 thousand tons, generating US$1.18 billion, with growth of 1.8% in volume and 9.9% in revenue compared to the first half of 2024.

In June, 76,400 tons of chicken meat were exported, generating revenue of US$159.3 million, a decrease of US$1.5 million in volume and US$1.9 million in revenue compared to May. This reflects the embargoes imposed by several countries following the temporary suspension of the outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) on a commercial farm in Rio Grande do Sul, now declared eradicated. "Even with the embargoes, the chicken sector maintained solid half-year performance, reflecting the robust exports and our ability to adapt to adversity. We also strive to demonstrate to the markets our full potential and commitment to health protection," Chiodini states.

Epagri/Cepa analyst Alexandre Giehl explains that there was a partial recovery in chicken exports in June, with emphasis on markets such as Japan (with increases of 136.9% in quantity and 146.2% in revenue), Saudi Arabia (34% and 27.7%), and the United Arab Emirates (87.2% and 75.9%). "Among the ten main importing countries of Santa Catarina chicken, only the Netherlands recorded negative results in June, which explains the drop in shipments compared to the total amount exported by the state in the month," he emphasizes.

Total meat exports

Adding up all meats (chicken, pork, beef, turkey, among others), Santa Catarina exported 974.2 thousand tons in the first half of the year, with revenue of US$$ 2.15 billion — a historic record in revenue for the period since the beginning of the series, in 1997. In June, 151.4 thousand tons were exported, with revenue of US$$ 348.8 million.

Good Rural Road

Launched by Governor Jorginho Mello in the first week of July, the Estrada Boa Rural Program will invest R$1.5 billion to pave 2,500 kilometers of rural roads in all 295 municipalities in the state. This phase of the already established Estrada Boa program aims to boost the economic backbone of Santa Catarina's agricultural and agroindustrial sectors.

By improving road conditions, the program will directly reduce transportation costs for producers, facilitating the flow of production and strengthening the entire agro-industrial supply chain.