10/06/06 Pork Challenges in Guatemala

Pork challenges in Guatemala. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. Journalists are home from a United Soybean Board-sponsored tour of Guatemala and Chile. During this trip - the Pork Checkoff and U.S. Meat Export Federation demonstrated the importance of exports. According to Pork Checkoff spokesperson Cindy Cunningham - there are challenges and opportunities in each of these markets. Cunningham says income is increasing in Guatemala - and that means meat consumption is also growing. CUNNINGHAM: In Guatemala specifically we need to look at the challenges they have with pork. They eat a lot of pork but at the base, root level, we have to convince them that U.S. pork is safe and it's wholesome. They've had some health concerns in the past and really that's where we are right now in that market is assuring the customer base in Guatemala that U.S. pork is a very safe, always safe, always quality product for them so that they can start to use U.S. pork as a replacement for other protein sources in their diet. In Guatemala - Cunningham notes there is a large domestic swine industry. Most of the pork production would be considered backyard-type operations. CUNNINGHAM: There's also production growing in that area; seeing more modernized facilities both from a pork standpoint as well as a beef standpoint. And also the ability to move product in that area is improving considerably in the last few years which is key to any market. Many producers may not realize the importance of exports. According to Cunningham - the United States exports the equivalent of 49,500 market hogs on a daily basis. CUNNINGHAM: In 2005, U.S. producers sold more than 1 million metric tons of pork and pork variety meats and that had a value of 2.5 billion dollars. And the United States exported 12% of its pork to, 12% of its domestic production in 2005 and that was up from only 3% in 1990. So in the U.S., pork exports have really helped us to improve the bottom line of our producers, moving us from a net importer in the 1990's to where we are in second place as the net exporter worldwide of U.S. pork so it's something our producers can be proud of. But also something our producers need to fully be able to comprehend the economic importance of opening up these new emerging markets. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.