August 3, 2015
Feed demand in Thailand to reach 18 million tonnes in 2015
Feed demand in Thailand could swell to about 18 million tonnes this year, said the Thai Feed Mill Association. The growth of the volume, which represents a 7% climb from 2014, is attributed to a possible 10% increase in broiler production.
The trend will be further driven by a potential 5% rise of chicken meat exports in 2015, notably in the second half when a 12-year suspension on Thai frozen chicken meat entering South Korea ceases.
The overall feed demand in Thailand consisted of around 40% for broiler, 30% for swine, and 20% for layer production. This year, both swine and layer will witness a 3% and 5% rise in feed demand, respectively.
In the 2015-16 marketing year, consumption of corn, a key feed ingredient in the country, is expected to increase 5% from the previous season, to about 5.3 million tonnes, due to growing livestock productions. About 40% to 60% of total corn consumption will be taken up by poultry feed.
However, the replacement of corn by wheat, in use for poultry feed, could rise significantly in 2014-15 as the average price of imported wheat is cheaper than local corn.
Due to an inadequate volume of corn production in Thailand, local feed mills will continue to depend on neighbouring countries for imports of corn.