The white layer pig sector “has experienced a turning point in 2022, in which its resilience and competitiveness has marked its results”. This has been advanced by the director of the Interprofessional del Porcino de Capa Blanca (INTERPORC), Alberto Herranz, in a press conference in which he has taken stock of the year 2022. Herranz has pointed out that the data “again shows a very strong sector , competitive, consolidated and committed”. In fact, Spain remains the leading European exporter and second in the world with a volume of 2.93 million tons worth 8,279 million euros.
In a difficult situation, he explained, “marked by problems such as the war in Ukraine, difficulties in the supply of raw materials, severe drought, rising inflation and a sharp increase in production costs, it has once again repeated as a leader in production and in exports.
Although 160,000 tons less have been exported in volume, in value there has been, according to Herranz, a growth of 560 million euros, which yields a positive trade balance of 7,720 million euros.
A fact that “reconfirms pork as the sector with the best commercial balance in the entire Spanish agri-food system, ahead of fresh fruit and vegetables, legumes and potatoes”.
For its part, total meat production varied slightly downward to stand at 5.07 million tons (5.18 in 2021), although its value increased by +22.5% to reach 10,870 million euros.
Alberto Herranz: “The sector begins to have a growing need for support that helps consolidate its positioning, competitiveness and resilience in markets around the world to maintain our leadership”
Moment of reflection and transition
For the director of INTERPORC, the circumstances that the sector is experiencing, together with the figures obtained, also invite us to think that “perhaps we are in a moment for reflection, the redesign of sectoral strategies that strengthen the sustainability and transition of the sector in the next years”.
The challenges that are glimpsed in the medium term are very important, he has indicated. For this reason, these data must also be interpreted in the sense that “the sector begins to have a growing need for support that helps to consolidate its positioning, competitiveness and resilience in markets around the world to maintain our leadership”.
Likewise, to face these challenges, the director of INTERPORC has advanced that the Interprofessional is preparing, together with all those involved in the sector, a Strategic Plan “that will allow the necessary responses to be identified for the future.”
Daniel de Miguel: “4,000 million consumers around the world have white layer pork products from Spain at their disposal”
Evolution of exports
Daniel de Miguel, International Director of INTERPORC, has stated that “white layer pig companies sell to more than 111 markets, to which must be added the countries of the European Union”.
A success that is due, according to Miguel, “to the market diversification policy that the sector follows and that in 2022 led to growth in 27 of the top 30 countries to which we export.”
In fact, as he pointed out, “although success is evident, the sector continues to face important challenges in internationalization, since we must not only continue to diversify in markets, but also in the different sales channels to reach the different population segments of the destination countries.”
Today, more than 4,000 million consumers around the world have white layer pork products from Spain at their disposal. “And that is a source of pride for our sector,” concluded de Miguel.
