POTENTIALLY EXPORTABLE CHILEAN BEEF TO THE SOUTH KOREAN MARKET PRODUCED FROM STEERS RAISED IN THE CENTRAL- SOUTHERN ZONE OF CHILE

Abstract

Cattle production in South Korea does not cover the demand of their consumers, representing an interesting market for Chilean meat exporters. The aim of this research was to evaluate the possibility of exporting meat of steers raised in the central-southern zone of Chile to South Korea, considering both the preferences and the quality parameters required by the Korean consumer. Records of 5,124 steer carcasses selected for Premium grade for the domestic market were used. Animals were evaluated in accordance to the quality and yield standards of the Animal Products Grading Service (APGS) of South Korea. To estimate the potential volume of exports, quality parameters of the meat that South Korea imports from Australia were used. The results showed that cattle from the central- southern zone selected for Premium meat was homogeneous in accordance to the quality parameters of the APGS, with an 84% on the 2A grade. It was concluded that out of the total number of animals evaluated, 22.87% were classified as Korean1, and that only 1.11% were classified as Korean Fullsets. Therefore, 23.98% of the animals evaluated could be potentially exportable to the South Korean market.