The pace of U.S. beef and pork exports in­­creased sharply in March, driven by double-digit increases to leading markets such as Mexico, the China/Hong Kong region and South Korea, according to statistics released last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

U.S. pork exports reached their highest monthly total since October 2012: 209,704 metric tons valued at $606.7 million, increasing 29 percent in both volume and value over March 2013.

Exports of U.S. beef rose 12 percent in volume to 93,380 metric tons valued at $516.2 million, an increase of 17 percent.

When measured in proportion to overall U.S. beef and pork production, March exports also showed gains. Total pork exports (muscle cuts plus variety...