Exports of Spanish dry-cured ham (Jamón Serrano) and shoulders grow by 14.17% up to third quarter of 2021

>> During the first nine months of the year, exports reached 36,644.81 tons compared to 32,097.93 tons in the same period of 2020

>> The countries with the highest growth in value were Chile, China and the USA

>> During this stage, third countries have gained weight in exports, accounting for 27.3% of total exports

Madrid, December 9, 2021.- The Consorcio del Jamón Serrano Español (CJSE) has released the export figures for jamón and shoulders up to the third quarter of 2021, a period in which a total of 36,644.81 tons were exported, compared to 32,097.93 tons in the previous period; this represented an increase of 14.17%. At the same time, exports were made for a total value of 364,059,845.82 euros, an increase of 15.58% with respect to the previous year.

In addition, the average price increased by 1.24% during this period to 9.93 euros. The average price in European Union countries was 9.01 euros, compared to 12.41 euros in Third Countries, representing a slight adjustment of 0.18% and 0.20%, respectively.

“The revival of consumption in almost all strategic markets has meant that, over the course of the first nine months of the year, exports of cured jamón have continued to recover gradually, returning in general to pre-Covid levels and even surpassing them. In addition, during this period, we have observed a growth in exports from Third Countries, reversing the traditional 80-20% export ratio with respect to the European Union, to approximately 70-30% at present”, explains Carlos del Hoyo, Director of Marketing and Promotion of the Consorcio del Jamón Serrano Español.

Thus, in overall figures, European Union countries imported a total of 26,628.93 tons during this period, while Third Countries registered a volume of 10,015.88 tons. The European Union accounted for 72.7% of jamón Serrano exports, with Third Countries accounting for 27.3%.

Within the European Union, the main destinations for jamón Serrano continue to be France and Germany, which have seen their value increase by 10.59% and 0.07%, and continue to account for more than 50% of the exports of this product, followed by Portugal and Italy. On the other hand, the markets that have increased the value of their exports to a greater extent during the first half of 2021 have been Belgium, by 19.81%; Italy, by 14.99%; and Holland, by 14.35%. It is also worth noting the case of Sweden, which is the European market with the highest average price, at 14.12 €/kg.

Meanwhile, the Third Countries that have shown the most significant growth in terms of value have been Chile, by 107.75%, and China, by 103.45%. The Asian country, moreover, continues to be the market with the highest prices with 16.64 €/kg, despite having decreased by 17.26%. On the other hand, the United Kingdom has suffered a decrease of 1.07%, although its average price has increased by 11.66% to 14.82 €/kg; while Australia has increased its value by 23.95%, and its average price by 1.82%.

It is important to highlight the significant increase of 56.55% experienced by the USA, despite a 3.20% drop in the average price. Carlos del Hoyo explains that “the USA has become the main destination for jamón Serrano outside the European Union, and at the CJSE we predict that it will become the third or fourth most important market. On the other hand, it is important to highlight the increase that China continues to experience, which will reach over 1,000 tons, as well as the steady growth that is occurring in other markets such as Mexico and Australia. In contrast, the United Kingdom has fallen by 11.40% in volume and 1% in value, due to the shortage caused by Brexit and the onslaught and restrictions of the pandemic.”

In terms of formats, 19.10% of the pieces exported in this period correspond to the bone-in format, which has led to a growth in volume of 30.75% and 36.37% in value. In this regard, the Marketing and Promotion Director of the CJSE emphasizes that “These rising figures are due to the reopening of the hotel and catering trade and to the fact that this format is a commercial attraction in large-scale distribution for the Christmas campaign, with Chile and Mexico being the countries that have recorded the greatest growth in terms of the average price of this format. China, on the other hand, is the market that is importing the most bone-in jamón in proportion to the number of products imported”. Finally, boneless jamón increased by 10.65% in volume and 11.66% in value, placing China and the United Kingdom as the consumers with the highest prices for this format.