Imported Beef Stocks Still Higher Than A Year Ago
JAPAN - Imported beef stocks in Japan at the end of September fell from very high levels in August, but remained four per cent higher than a year ago at 84,012 tonnes swt (data from Japan’s Agriculture and Livestock Industries Corporation), reports Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).
11 November 2011
1 minute read
MLA reports that at the same time, there was an increase of imported products kept in bond and yet to be cleared by customs – up 20 per cent on the previous month to 8,899 tonnes.
The relatively high inventories may reflect the imbalance between steady import volumes this year (up three per cent from January to September compared with the same time last year) and slow beef demand in the market.
In fact, imported beef consumption (amount of beef distributed in the market based on imports and the end of month inventories) during September was down five per cent from last year to 47,654 tonnes (boneless equivalent).
September was a tough month for Japanese businesses primarily due to bad weather, with the foodservice sector, large distributor of Australian frozen beef, recording an 0.8 per cent sales decline compared with 12 months ago.
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