China back on top in global feed production ranking

The Asian country climbed back up the rankings, overtaking the US, as it saw 5% growth in compound feed output in 2020, finds the report.

China's swine industry continued its path to recovery as the threat of African Swine Fever (ASF) resided last year and the country's poultry sector expanded to meet animal protein demand. 

The 2021 edition of the Alltech global review estimates that international feed tonnage increased by 1% to reach 1,187.7 million metric tons (MMT) last year.

Beyond China, the other top feed-producing countries, including tonnage and growth percentage, are the US (215.9 MMT, +1%), Brazil (77.6 MMT, +10%), India (39.3 MMT, -5%), Mexico (37.9 MMT, +4%), Spain (34.8 MMT, 0%), Russia (31.3 MMT, +3%), Japan (25.2 MMT, 0%), Germany (24.9 MMT, 0%) and Argentina (22.5, +7%).

Altogether, these countries account for 63% of the world’s feed production and can be viewed as an indicator of the overall trends in agriculture, said Alltech.

The survey results also show the predominant growth came from the broiler and pig sectors. 

The data indicates broiler feed led the way, accounting for 28% of global feed production, which is the same percentage recorded last time out. Swine feed follows, coming in at 24% of output, layers represented 14%, dairy feed hit 11% and beef 10%. Feed for other species accounted for 7% of feed production worldwide, aquaculture some 4% and pets only 2%.

The Alltech Global Feed Survey is designed to act as barometer for the state of animal feed production worldwide. It comprises global data, collected from more than 140 countries and more than 28,000 feed mills.

“Fortified by a decade of documentation and research, it is the strongest evaluation of compound feed production and prices in the industry and is the most complete data source of its kind,”​ says the animal health and nutrition player.