As expected, Sunday brought larger crowds to the Kölnmesse exhibition center, where the Anuga trade fair is being held. If everything continues as usual, Monday and part of Tuesday are expected to be the busiest days of the event.
The meat stands benefited from a significantly higher attendance than the day before. This included the presence of Israeli importers —absent on Saturday for religious reasons— who were seen engaging in discussions with several companies from the region, where they are expected to arrive around October 20.
Price positions between importers and sellers remain quite far apart, but both sides agree on one thing: prices will rise compared to those that prevailed during the previous production period, as raw material costs are now considerably higher.
Some Paraguayan exporters were bold enough to ask for US$ 9,000 per ton for the forequarter, although it seems unlikely that deals will close at that level. Offers between US$ 7,500 and US$ 8,000 per ton were also heard. In April, contracts were done around US$ 7,000.
Argentina, which traditionally achieves the highest values, is aiming to position itself above US$ 10,000 (with operations previously closed at around US$ 9,200 during the April negotiations), while Uruguay is achieving an intermediate price level between its two regional partners.
At Uruguay’s stand, the atmosphere was calm. The general sense was that most plants are already well sold, so they have no need to accept lower prices. Meetings between exporters and buyers took place smoothly, without major crowds.
Another notable observation was the smaller presence of Asian buyers. There were some, but not in the same numbers as in 2023.
