Brazilian chicken exports to Chad nearly quadruple

An African corridor off the radar

Brazil exported 8,575 tons of poultry meat to Chad in 2025. The historical average for this corridor was 2,227 tons. In a single year, the volume multiplied nearly fourfold — and Chad, a landlocked country in north-central Africa, emerged as a meaningful destination for Brazilian chicken. Chad is not the first market that comes to mind when discussing Brazilian poultry. Angola, Saudi Arabia, and Asian markets tend to dominate the conversation. But Sub-Saharan Africa has been gaining ground, particularly in interior countries that rely on continental distribution networks — and where frozen Brazilian chicken, backed by consolidated long-haul logistics, finds a foothold.

What explains the multiplication

Chad imports animal protein in concentrated bursts during periods of domestic production shortfalls. Local livestock is vulnerable to drought — the country endures severe Sahel climate cycles — and domestic poultry supply is limited. When local production fails, regional importers turn to suppliers outside the continent. Brazil, with cold-chain infrastructure and competitive per-ton pricing, tends to be called upon during those windows.

Exchange rates also played a role. A weaker real through much of 2025 made Brazilian chicken cheaper in CFA franc terms — the currency used by French-speaking Central African countries — improving affordability for local importers.

Brazilian chicken across Africa

Brazil's presence in Africa is not new. The country has been the world's largest poultry exporter for years. 8,575 tons destined for a single African country in a single year illustrates both the sector's responsiveness and the opening of new corridors.

Chad shares borders with Sudan, Libya, Niger, Nigeria, the Central African Republic, and Cameroon. Some of the imported meat circulates through informal regional trade networks — meaning volume exported to N'Djamena may have a diffuse final destination across the Lake Chad basin.

Seasonality and risk

Corridors that rapidly multiply volume in low-income countries tend to be unstable. Chad has a track record of logistical disruptions — borders closed by political tension, restricted currency flows, limited port capacity in transit countries (Cameroon and Nigeria are the main sea-access routes). A corridor that grows nearly fourfold in one year can retreat proportionally the next.

That does not invalidate the move: the growth confirms that demand exists and that Brazilian product has access. But it calls for caution when booking refrigerated capacity and transport commitments based on this single destination.

Medium-term outlook

Sub-Saharan Africa is the fastest-growing region for per-capita animal protein consumption over the coming decades — driven by demographics and rising incomes. Brazil holds a clear competitive position, provided it can sustain the regularity of bilateral sanitary certifications and cold-chain logistics along continental routes.

Chad specifically may be a gateway or a one-off spike. The difference depends on how many Brazilian cold-storage plants hold sanitary authorization to export to the country and how diversified each company's African destination portfolio is.

What this means for you

For exporters: cold-storage operators authorized to export to Chad should monitor first-half 2026 demand — if volumes hold above the historical average, the corridor has developed a base. Companies without authorization should weigh the cost-benefit of seeking accreditation through the relevant ministry given the size of the potential market. Diversify African destinations to avoid concentration in a single corridor.

For importers: there is no import flow of chicken from Chad to Brazil — this corridor runs one way. But operators of African distribution chains should note that Brazil can deliver at scale to landlocked markets, which may open commercial dialogue in other destinations across the region.

Whoever was exporting chicken to West Africa without watching the Sahel may have missed a window — north-central Africa moved from marginal to relevant before much of the sector noticed.