Official figures indicate that the amount of beef Brazil exported to China grew to 81,950 tonnes last month, 21.7 percent more than the month before and the most in any month on record, the Brazilian association of meat exporters, Abiec, says.

Data collected by the  Brazilian Economy Ministry show exports of beef to China were worth US$441.1 million last month, 28.5 percent more than the month before, owing to an increase of 5.6 percent in the average price, according to a written statement that Abiec issued on Tuesday.

China was the main market for Brazilian exports of beef in the first half of this year, buying 399,000 tonnes worth US$1.97 billion, Abiec says.