The governments of Brazil and Indonesia agreed to the health requirements to allow the export of beef with bone and bovine kids, among other Brazilian meat products, to the Asian country, the Ministry of Agriculture said on Tuesday (19).
Indonesia, the fourth most populous country in the world, with about 283 million inhabitants, buys only meat without Brazilian bone, so far.
The possibility of exporting other products “should diversify the portfolio and strengthen our presence in the country,” said the ABIEC (Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries) to Reuters.
“The shipments should start in the coming months as the technical and commercial procedures with importers advance,” added ABIEC, which represents companies such as JBS, Marfrig and Minerva.
The Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement that Indonesia is a strategic market for Brazilian animal protein. “The consumption of beef in the country has been growing in recent years, driven by increased income of the population and the expansion of the urban middle class,” he said.
Still a small meat importer from Brazil, Indonesia came in “rapid expansion,” said ABIEC. Between January and July 2025, Brazil exported 12.8 thousand tons, versus only 2,500 tons in the same period last year.
The opening of Indonesia happens after Brazil announced last week that it concluded with the Philippines negotiations on health requirements for the export of Brazilian beef with bone and bovine kids to the country, also a populous nation, with more than 118 million, and equally growing consumption.
For 2026, it is still early for a “precise estimate, but there is room for growth, especially in front and kid cutting that have high demand in these markets,” said ABIEC.
Brazil, the world’s largest exporter of beef, has also advanced in negotiations to open the Japanese market, with conversations focusing on the southern meat at first.
In 2024 Indonesia imported US $ 4.2 billion in Brazilian agricultural products, especially from the sugar and soybean complexes, fiber and textile products, according to the ministry.
Already the Philippines last year imported more than $ 1.5 billion in agricultural products for the country, including meats, cereals, flour.
According to Abiec, the Philippines are the sixth largest destination of our fresh beef and second largest market in Southeast Asia, where Brazil exported in 2024 a total of 92 thousand tons of protein (boneless).
“Opening to higher -added and kidding cuts should further expand the potential of this market,” said ABIEC.
Situation in the USA
Markets are opened while Brazil faces a higher rate to export beef to the United States, its second largest client after China.
Asked whether Asian countries could compensate for any lower sales to the US, ABIEC said they are “distinct situations.”
“The US market is still strategic, especially for industrialized meat from the front. Openings in Asia do not replace this flow, but contribute to reducing risks and expanding business opportunities.”
