SAO PAULO - Brazil's beef exports are likely to increase in 2016 with the opening of the U.S. and Chinese beef markets and a lower offer from Australia, exporter's association Abiec said on Thursday.
The association forecast 1.76 million ton of beef worth a record $7.5 billion would be exported in 2016, up from an expected 1.4 million tons in 2015 worth $6 billion.
Fernando Sampaio, Abiec's executive director, said he expected exports to the United States to start in the first half of 2016 after the two countries reached an agreement in June.
Exports to China, which also agreed to import Brazilian beef this year, could be worth $1.3 billion in 2016, Abiec said.
Eleven Brazilian beef plants have been approved to export beef to China, according to theagriculture ministry. Brazil needs some sanitary certificates to export to the United States.
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In 2014 Brazil shipped abroad 1.56 million tons of beef worth $7.2 billion, according to a January release from Abiec.
