International feed production exceeded 1 billion metric tons (MT) for the first time last year with considerable growth made in the aquaculture sector, finds a new report.
According to the “2017 Alltech Global Feed Survey,” which is the sixth edition of the annual study covering 141 countries and more than 30,000 feed mills, total feed production increased by 3.7 percent in 2016. The output for the year was also 19 percent more than the total reported in the 2012 inaugural survey, despite a 7 percent reduction in the number of feed mills.
Results showed that the United States and China were the top two producing countries, accounting for one-third of all animal feed, while the predominant growth came from the beef, pig and aquaculture feed sectors as well as several African, Asian and Middle Eastern countries.
“This year clearly demonstrates the growing efficiency and consolidation of the feed industry,” said Aidan Connolly, chief innovation officer and vice president of corporate accounts for Alltech. “Not only has total feed production exceeded 1 billion MT for the first time, but it has done so with fewer facilities, which means greater efficiencies and a decreased environmental footprint.”
Aquaculture continued its year-on-year growth with a gain of 12 percent in feed production in 2016. Increased production from Turkey, Germany, the United Kingdom and France contributed to a strong performance from the European region, said Alltech.
The privately-owned animal health company also highlighted that Africa increased its aquaculture feed production by almost 1 million MT – buoyed by Egypt and Nigeria in particular, while Asia maintained its volume. The increase in aquaculture feed correlates to the consumption of farmed fish, it said.
This year’s survey showed that the top 30 countries ranked by production output are home to 82 percent of the world’s feed mills and produce 86 percent of the world’s total feed. The top 10 feed-producing countries in 2016, in order of production output were China, the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, India, Russia, Germany, Japan and France. These countries contain 56 percent of the world’s feed mills and account for 60 percent of total production.
With lower feed prices overall, the cost of raising production animals has decreased, said Alltech. From a global perspective, it estimated the value of the feed industry is around USD 460 billion (EUR 429.3 billion).
