Beef and veal exports to Indonesia continue to grow, with November volumes the highest since July 2011, MLA reported yesterday.

The Department of Agriculture reported November exports to Indonesia increased to 6140 tonnes, 16 percent above the October figure.

Improved monthly exports for the second consecutive month assisted the year-to-November volume figure to move up to the fourth highest volume recorded for the period, at 34,714t.

The monthly volume was underpinned by a significant 272pc year-on-year increase in chilled exports, to 601t, and a 63pc year-on-year lift in frozen exports, at 5539t.

Part of the explanation for this is Indonesia's recently-relaxed ‘quality beef’ chilled-only segment access intended for restaurants, that can only be air-freighted into the market. 

In terms of chilled beef exports by cut, blade made the largest quantity, at 92 tonnes swt, followed by 81 tonnes swt of manufacturing beef and 65 tonnes swt of striploin.

Regarding total exports by cut, interestingly, while manufacturing beef remained the most popular cut shipped to Indonesia, the volume decreased 22pc year-on-year, at 2,360 tonnes swt. In contrast, blade and thick flank/knuckle increased substantially, to 609t (+1218pc) and 610t (+1507t), respectively.

Source: MLA

• Read Beef Central's comprehensive December 3 summary on global exports, " November beef exports: industry hurtles towards record yearly tonnage."