South Africa enters top tier of Brazilian chicken export markets

South Africa rises among Brazil’s leading buyers

South Africa has become one of the 10 largest global destinations for Brazilian chicken meat and is the only African market in that group, according to TimesLIVE. Data from the Brazilian Animal Protein Association, known as ABPA, show that the country ranked fourth among Brazil’s chicken export destinations in 2025.

Brazil shipped 336,022 metric tons of chicken meat to South Africa during 2025. That volume represented 6.5% of the country’s total chicken exports, placing South Africa behind only three other destinations. ABPA expects both the volume supplied to the market and South Africa’s share of Brazilian exports to grow.

The trade continued expanding in 2026. Between January and June, South Africa imported 185,347 metric tons of Brazilian chicken, an increase of 38.35% from the corresponding period of 2025. It was Brazil’s sixth-largest destination during those six months, indicating that shipments grew strongly even as its interim ranking slipped from the full-year 2025 position.

Brazilian scale supports export availability

ABPA’s consolidated 2025 results put Brazilian chicken meat production at 15.289 million metric tons. The domestic market absorbed 65.18% of that output, while exports accounted for the remaining 34.82%. Brazil supplied 153 markets and retained its position as the world’s largest chicken meat exporter.

For 2026, the association projects Brazilian chicken exports of as much as 5.875 million metric tons. That export capacity gives suppliers room to serve large established buyers while increasing deliveries to markets such as South Africa.

The figures were published as part of ABPA’s consolidated 2025 and interim 2026 poultry and pork production report in São Paulo, ahead of the association’s International Animal Protein Trade Show, Siavs. They provide an early measure of South Africa’s increasing weight within Brazil’s geographically diverse poultry business.

Imports ease supply pressure but intensify competition

For South Africa, Brazilian chicken performs two roles. TimesLIVE reported that imported poultry has helped cushion the effect of avian influenza on local supply and supported access to more affordable animal protein for low-income households. Rising shipments therefore have implications for food prices and availability as well as for bilateral trade.

The same flows create pressure for South African poultry producers. Domestic companies struggle to compete with the scale and pricing of Brazilian suppliers and have requested tariff protection. Faster import growth may sharpen that debate as policymakers weigh consumer affordability against the competitiveness of local production.

South Africa’s position as the only African country among Brazil’s 10 leading destinations also distinguishes it from other markets on the continent. For Brazilian processors and exporters, the 38.35% first-half increase points to a market capable of absorbing substantially larger volumes. For South African producers and importers, the central issue is how that supply growth affects prices, production incentives and the balance between domestic and imported chicken.