According to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service, total 2019 egg export tallies (table eggs plus egg products in shell egg equivalent) increased 2.4% year over year to 268.1 million doz. However, total export value decreased 10.2% to $218.2 million.

The American Egg Board (AEB) reported that 2019 table egg exports saw volume rise 19.4% to 145.8 million doz., while export value declined 10.8% to $118 million. More than 93%, or 136.4 million doz., of the total shipments went to the top six export markets: Hong Kong, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Bahamas and Taiwan.

Looking only at December 2019, AEB reported that table egg exports rose 3.9% to 11.6 million doz. compared to the same month in 2018. During the same period, export value also showed a gain, rising 0.3% to $12.5 million. Marked year-over-year increases in December exports were seen in both Hong Kong (6.7% to 3.4 million doz.) and Mexico with an increase from 200,00 to 1.8 million doz. AEB pointed out that other markets with significant export gains included the UAE, Japan, Israel, Taiwan, Trinidad & Tobago and Guatemala. Meanwhile, notable market declines were seen in exports to Canada, Haiti, the Bahamas, the Netherlands Antilles and Barbados.

Egg product volume rises

USDA reported that total 2019 egg product exports equaled 32,937 metric tons, an increase of 3.5% from a year earlier. During the same period, however, AEB said export value dipped 9.4% to $100.2 million.

“Notable export declines were seen in Japan, where export value dropped 20.8% to $34.5 million, mainly due to competitive forces in the market,” AEB noted.

Exports to South Korea declined 32.3% to $5.1 million, which AEB said was in response to the market resuming egg production following the 2018 outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza.

The top six markets for egg product exports, with nearly $81 million in sales, or 80.6%, of the total, include: Japan, Mexico, Canada, the European Union, South Korea and the Philippines. For December alone, egg product exports totaled 3,356 mt, a 15.1% increase year over year. During the same period, export value rose 7.2%, with sales of $9.6 million.

According to AEB, markets with significant export sales increases were Japan, the EU-28, Australia, Chile, Malaysia, Vietnam, Jamaica and Colombia. Notable egg product export decreases were recorded in Mexico Canada, Taiwan, South Korea, Costa Rica and Ecuador.