Shipments amounted to 305,700 tonnes, up 0.4 per cent using the same basis of comparison, according to the Brazil-Arab News Agency.

Year-to-date as of late September, revenues from foreign sales reached US$5.616 billion, down 6.9 per cent from the same period last year.

Volume-wise, 2.922 million tonnes were exported, up 0.9 per cent from the same period in 2011.

According to a Ubabef press statement, its president Franciso Turra said maintaining the volume shipped is key to sustaining the industry.

Brazilian poultry farmers claim to be experiencing the worst crisis ever as a result of hiking prices for inputs such as maize and soy, which are used as animal feed.