Newly released trade data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service showed cumulative egg exports for the first 11 months of 2018 decreased both in value and volume, according to the American Egg Board (AEB).

Total egg exports (table eggs plus egg products in shell egg equivalent) lost 0.6% in value ($221.6 million) and decreased 11.1% in volume (241.6 million dozen) compared to the previous year.

According to AEB, cumulative table egg exports for the same 11-month period equaled 110.9 million dozen, a decrease of 2.2% from 2017. The export value was $120 million, an increase of 5.2%.

AEB relayed that more than 90% of the total export shipments, 101.7 million dozen, were shipped to the top six export markets, namely Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico, the U.A.E., Bahamas, and Israel. Table egg exports in November 2018 totaled 10 million dozen, up 7.1% from November 2017, while the export value decreased 8.6% ($10.7 million.)

AEB specifically noted that table egg exports increased to Canada—5.5 million dozen, a 39.4% rise, year over year, while exports to Hong Kong decreased 2.2% (3.2 million dozen.) Exports to the Bahamas and Leeward-Windward Islands increased markedly, while exports to Jamaica, Israel, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago decreased significantly, AEB said.

Looking at egg product exports January through November 2018, AEB reported that cumulative egg product exports were 28,921 metric tons, down 28.5% compared to 2017, while export value was $101.7 million, down 6.7%. A decrease in egg product exports to South Korea was largely seen as the cause of the decline, AEB said.

Exports to Japan, Costa Rica, Taiwan and the Philippines rose, while exports to EU-28, Mexico, U.A.E. and Indonesia fell sharply, according to AEB.

The top six markets (Japan, Canada, Mexico, EU-28, South Korea, and the Philippines) accounted for 80.8% of export sales or $82.1 million. Egg product exports in November 2018 slipped 29.2% (2,679 metric tons) compared to the same month a year earlier. As such, AEB said export value dipped 25.8% ($8.8 million.) Further, the group noted that egg product export decreases occurred in Japan, South Korea, EU-28 and Mexico, while export gains were recorded in Canada, Taiwan and Costa Rica.