Pet Food exports grow as pet owners spend more time with their pets at home

With growing number of people working from home due to the pandemic, pets are getting more care and attention from owners leading to higher demand for Pet Foods, said Auramon Supthaweethum, Director General of the Department of Trade Negotiations.
As a result, the value of Thailand’s pet food exports in the 1st quarter grew by 10% to Bt 15 billion (US$466 million) compared to a year earlier. Auramon said the value of pet food exports to India, US, ASEAN and Australia grew to US$19 million, US$104 million, US$111 million and US$22.5 million in the same review period, representing an increase of 52%, 19%, 13% and 9% respectively. She added that Dog and Cat foods commanded more than 80% share of the export.
Thailand’s pet food manufacturers have the opportunity to expand their export to countries that Thailand has signed free-trade agreements (FTAs) with as they will benefit from the waiver on tariff. Countries with FTAs include ASEAN countries, China, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru and Hong Kong. On the other hand, countries like India, Japan and South Korea still collected tariff on some types of pet food.
During this challenging time, Auramon also recommended manufacturers and exporters to study the current market trends and plan their production accordingly, such as increasing the package size or shifting to canned food to extend storage time. She added, “They should also consider nutrition factors and standards as well as comply with import regulations to attract consumers.” Pet foods industry is one of the most rapidly growing segment. In 2019, the value of Pet Food exports stood at US$1.693 billion with more than 56% coming from exports to FTA partners.