He sheep sector went through a difficult year in 2023, and reached a total of exports of 219.7 million dollars, which were the worst in five years – without taking into account the year 2020, which was affected by the pandemic -, being the wool and its byproducts the most affected.
During the year of pandemic, he sheep sector managed to export a total of 186.9 million dollars, taking into account the global context and how economies were affected by the pandemic and the closure of borders, the better result than that obtained during 2023. Last year, managed to export a total of 219.7 million dollars, 19% less than in 2022.
As he international market As the Uruguayan They are affected by a reality marked by a weak demand of the products and prices that still cannot be recovered. This especially affects the Uruguayan market, which is finding it increasingly difficult to place wool medium or thick.
This causes the products to accumulate in warehouses because it is not convenient to put the wool on the market, having more than one harvest accumulated in stock. However, extreme cases have been reached where producers made the decision to burn the wool due to not being able to continue accumulating it while waiting to get better values.
Wool fell 23%
He Uruguayan Wool Secretariat (SUL) published data provided by the National Customs Directorate (DNA) where it is estimated that – based on completed export figures – a total of 128.5 million dollars was obtained during the year 2023, 23% less than in 2022.
In that sense, the main destinations were, first of all, China with 23% of the total and Italy with 21%. Meanwhile, referring to the volume exported, 19% of washed wool, 32% wool and 49% worsted wool. With this, a total of 28.8 million kilos could be placed, 7% less than in 2022.
Sheep meat: more sales at a lower value
Although the exports of the sheep meat They rose 13% during 2023 compared to the previous year – adding up to a total of 21.5 million kilos -, their values fell.
With a total of 90.8 million dollars, exports received 14% less in terms of money transacted. Among the main destinations is China in first place with 53% and Brazil with 25%.
Regarding the types of meat, the sheep meat with bone was the one that registered the most placement – with a total of 76.2 million dollars – followed by boneless sheep meat with 11.7 million dollars. Meanwhile, byproducts obtained a marginal participation.
Source: Ambito
