JBS has shipped its first beef to Vietnam when the Brazilian meat giant hopes to enter the “strategic” market in Southeast Asia.
The publicly listed JBS said in a statement that 27 tons of beef left Brazil's Mozar Ndia factory on Saturday (July 5). The website produces the company's Friboi Meat brand, which was recently approved for delivery to Vietnam and shipped with its facilities in Goiânia.
“The opening of the Vietnamese market is not only a sign of entry into new commercial destinations: this is JBS' strategic move in Asia, a region with growing demand for animal protein and economy,” the company said.
The ceremony held in Rio de Janeiro by Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Brazilian Agriculture Minister Carlos Fávaro marks the first shipment of Brazilian meat to Vietnam.
Marcela Rocha, executive director of JBS Corporate Affairs, highlighted the relevance of opening up Vietnam to Brazil: “In this market a whole national agribusiness chain: rural producers, industries, suppliers, suppliers, suppliers and workers.”
“It's a sector that accounts for 20% of GDP, generates jobs and moves regional economies,” Rocha added.
According to the General Statistics Bureau of Vietnam (GSO), Vietnam imported about 300,000 tons of beef and buffalo in 2024, aiming to pass the expanding middle-class imports, JBS said in a statement.
It added that Vietnam's GDP growth in the second quarter was estimated at 7.6% compared to the same period in 2024, meaning the country is now one of the “most promising markets for animal protein”.
“The continued growth and accelerated urbanization are expected to further drive demand in the coming years and position Brazil as a strategic supplier serving the market,” JBS noted.
The meat giant said it had designated $100 million in Vietnam in March and plans to build two facilities to provide local markets and other facilities in Southeast Asia.
In the first phase of the project, a facility will be built in Khu Công Nghipnghipn Mnvũ, located in HảiPhòng city in northeastern Vietnam. It will include a logistics center with storage facilities, as well as “preprocessing, cutting and packaging activities”.
As part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with the Vietnamese Government, the second site will be built in the southern part of the country at an unspecified location. It will operate in a similar manner as the first, and its construction may begin two years after the initial factory begins production.
