Brazil plans to end 2014 with a record of over $7 billion in revenue, as it celebrates 100 years of exporting beef.

The Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries, ABIEC said the success of the industry is a combination of the effort of the government and sector to reverse embargoes, the maintenance of their health status and relationships with major markets such as Hong Kong and Russia who continue to lead on importing Brazilian beef.

The country also expects to top this year's record in 2015, with exports expected to reach $8bn, or 1.7m tonnes, next year. Next year, ABIEC will launch a joint project with other stakeholders in Brazilian beef to promote Brazilian beef in other relevant markets. The project will see an investment of $6.3m over the next two years. As part of the project, plans are in place to promote Brazilian gourmet meat in Europe, Arab countries and China.

Brazilian beef in 2014

Brazil reached total exports of $6.5bn for the period of Janary to November, which was an increase of 8.16% compared to the same period last year. The five markets that most imported Brazilian beef in 2014 were Hong Kong, Russia, the European Union, Venezuela and Egypt, with significant increases both in sales and in tonnes.

President of ABIEC, Antonio Jorge Camardelli said: "The recovery of important markets such as China which suspended the ban, and Iran and Egypt, which still retained embargo for beef from Mato Grosso, as well as the positive outlook for the announcement of the end of the embargo of Saudi Arabia and Japan, allow us to maintain a very good forecast for 2015.

"We also have indications that the negotiations with the US market for fresh beef should move forward, which opens up possibilities also to achieve other NAFTA countries, as well as the Caribbean and Central America."